Harts, Angels, and a Fatal Attraction
by CKLHand
Summary: Jennifer Hart, wife of self made millionaire Jonathan Hart, is kidnapped.  Jonathan recruits Charlie's new group of Angels to help find her.   Reviews are always appreciated! Rated T for some violence.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own the titles of Hart to Hart or Charlie's Angels. I do not own any of the characters that were created by Spelling-Goldberg and were featured in either of those shows. I only own the new group of Angels, and others I have created who are essential to the plot. This is my first attempt at a crossover episode. I hope you enjoy it. And to Di, and Shelby who helped me write this and gave me ideas, thanks for the strolls down Memory Lane. ~~CKLH**

Jonathan Hart sat at his kitchen table, still in his robe and pajamas, enjoying a cup of coffee and reading the morning paper. His breakfast plate sat on the table in front of him. His wife, Jennifer, was still asleep in their bedroom suite upstairs. Freeway, the dog, sat at Jonathan's feet, hoping for a taste of bacon. He was a gray and white long haired Lowchen, which is German for little lion. Freeway had gotten his name because the Harts had found him abandoned on a freeway and rescued him. Freeway barked, trying to get Jonathan's attention. Jonathan absent mindedly reached down and scratched Freeway's ears as he turned the page of his paper. Freeway sighed, and lay down next to his master. He knew sooner or later, Jennifer or Max, the Harts' butler, would give him some bacon. Freeway laid his head down on his paws and watched Jonathan.

Jonathan Hart was a self made millionaire. His company, Hart Industries, had interests in various businesses from fashion to cosmetics, to publishing, to Wall Street, to the defense industry, to toys, to shipping, to computer programming and research, to mining, to scientific experiments. It was a worldwide conglomerate. Jennifer was a free lance journalist who wrote about many subjects that interested her, and was paid handsomely for her work. Jonathan and Jennifer didn't let their wealth go to their heads, but they enjoyed the life style it permitted them to have. They lived in a beautiful ranch style house in Bel Aire. It was furnished with antiques. Reproductions of masterpiece paintings hung on the walls. Oriental rugs graced the floors. One had to pass through the electronic gate and identify themselves in order to be admitted onto the grounds. Jonathan and Jennifer liked to travel. One week they could be in Monte Carlo, the next, Paris. They could be in London or Luxembourg the week after that. They traveled wherever and whenever the urge struck them. The Harts had never had any children, and with Jonathan as the CEO of Hart Industries, they could come and go pretty much as they pleased.

Max came into the kitchen. He was somewhere in his fifties or sixties, and had rather long reddish/graying hair. A cigar usually was either in his mouth or in his hand. He was dressed in a business suit and his hair was neatly combed. "Good morning, Mr. H. Is Mrs. H still sleeping?" Max asked in his gravelly voice.

"Good morning, Max. You look especially nice this morning. Yes, Mrs. H is still sleeping. We stayed later than we planned at the fudraiser dinner last night, and didn't get home until about 1:30 this morning. I decided to let Mrs. H sleep in. She had worked really hard on planning the fundraiser, and she deserves it."

"Those kids in Africa will really benefit from the orphanage that money is going to help build."

"Yes they will. Are you all ready for your trip?"

"I am, Mr. H. I'm looking forward to hitting the black jack tables in Vegas."

"Just don't gamble away your life savings, Max."

"I won't, Mr. H." Max bent down and scratched Freeway's ears. Freeway, glad for the attention, perked his ears up. He saw Max heading for the stove where there was still some bacon. Max broke off a small piece and gave it to the dog. Freeway licked Max's hand in appreciation, then sat down to enjoy his treat.

Jennifer came into the room just then, tying the sash of her robe. Her red hair was perfectly styled, and her makeup was done. She was slim, in her late thirties. She poured herself a cup of coffee from the coffee maker on the counter and walked over to the table where Jonathan sat. She bent down to kiss him. "Good morning, Darling." She gave him a kiss. "Good morning, Max."

"Good morning, Mrs. H."

"Good morning, Freeway." Jennifer scratched the dog behind the ears and gave him a piece of bacon. Freeway was delighted to score two pieces in such a short time. He sat down next to Jennifer's feet as she sat down at the table. Max brought her a plate of eggs and bacon. "Thank you, Max."

"You're welcome, Mrs. H." Max fixed himself a plate, along with a Bloody Mary. He sat down with the Harts and ate his breakfast.

"Max, as soon as we finish eating and are dressed, we will drive you to the airport." Jonathan told him.

"No need, Mr. H. I can call a cab."

"But we want to, Max," Jennifer said. "We insist."

"Alright, then."

The Harts and Max finished their breakfasts. Jonathan and Jennifer went upstairs to dress, while Max cleared the table and loaded the dishwasher. He went into his bedroom and made sure he had everything he wanted to take with him. Jonathan and Jennifer came downstairs. Jennifer picked up her purse from the entryway table. "Ready, Max?"

"I am." Max picked up opened the door for the Harts and Freeway, and then picked up his suitcase and followed them. Jonathan set the alarm, and closed and locked the door behind him. The Harts and Max got into the Bentley convertible. Max got into the driver's seat. Freeway hopped in as well, and tried to climb into Max's lap. Jennifer picked him up and held him on her lap. Jonathan climbed into the back. Max started the car, and they were on their way.

Max pulled up in front of the terminal and stopped the car. He got out, and opened the door for Jennifer, and then pulled the seat up for Jonathan. "Thank you, Max," they both said.

"Behave yourself in Vegas, Max," Jonathan told him.

"Of course I will, Mr. H."

Jennifer gave Max a hug and kiss on the cheek. "See you in a week, Max. "

"Bye, Mr. and Mrs. H." Max petted Freeway, took his bag out of the trunk and went inside the terminal. Jonathan opened the car door for Jennifer.

"Well, Darling, we have the house to ourselves for a whole week. What will we do with ourselves?"

Jennifer gave Jonathan a kiss. "I'm sure we will think of something."

Jonathan got into the driver's seat. "In the meantime, I have a meeting at the office. I need to pick up some papers at the house and then go in."

"While you're gone, I will work on my magazine article. I'll take advantage of the quiet."

"After my meeting, I'll come get you, and we will go out to lunch and spend some time together."

"I'd like that."

Jonathan stopped the car in front of the electronic gates. He put his card in the electronic gate keeper and the gates opened. Jonathan drove through the gates and to the front of the house, where he stopped the car. He got out and opened the door for Jennifer. She got out of the car, and Freeway hopped out. Jonathan opened the front door and they went inside.

"I'll just be a minute, Darling," he said as he went into his home office for his papers and briefcase. Jennifer put her purse down on the entryway table, and walked over to the bar, Freeway at her heels. She poured herself some juice from the bar, and then went into the kitchen. Freeway was still right behind her. Jennifer checked his food and water dishes, and noticed he was a little low on both. She refilled them, and patted Freeway on his head.

"There you go. Enjoy your lunch." Freeway began to eat as Jennifer left the kitchen. She heard Jonathan calling her.

"Jennifer!"

"Right here, darling!"

Jonathan came down the stairs, and Jennifer met him. "I really wish I didn't have to go to this meeting."

"I know, darling, but you are the boss, and they need you. I will see you in a couple of hours." Jonathan kissed Jennifer, and left with a wink. Jennifer watched him go, and then went into her office. She sat down at her desk and put some paper in her typewriter. She stared at the blank page. It seemed to be mocking her, daring her to put some words on it. Jennifer hated it when she got writer's block. It made it hard to meet the deadlines she was issued by newspapers and magazines. She glared back at the blank page in the typewriter, and then went out to the kitchen for a cup of coffee.

Freeway had finished his lunch, and was trying to take a nap on the couch. He saw Jennifer come out of her office, and watched her head for the kitchen. He followed. Sometimes trips to the kitchen involved a treat, and Freeway was not going to miss the opportunity to get one.

"What should I write about, Freeway?"

Freeway stared at Jennifer. She sighed and poured a cup of coffee, added cream and sugar, and then went back to her office, Freeway once again at her heels. Jennifer opened the door of the office. Freeway paused in the doorway, and gave a low growl.

"What is it, Freeway?"

Freeway barked. Jennifer looked around the office, but didn't see anything out of the ordinary. Freeway sniffed around the office. He barked again.

"Hush, Freeway!" Jennifer looked around the room again. She still didn't see anything unusual. With a shrug, she sat down at her desk. She once again stared at the blank paper, which continued to stare back. Jennifer leaned her head on her hand as she tried to concentrate.

Freeway started to bark again, louder this time. Jennifer was about to put him out of the room, when she felt a gun next to her head.

"Sit still, pretty lady, and you won't get hurt," said a low voice. "Don't turn around."

"What do you want?" Jennifer asked.

"First off, shut that damn dog up, or he is going to get it."

Jennifer reached down and picked up Freeway. She put him in her lap and began to stroke him. "Shhhhh, Freeway. It will be alright." Freeway quieted under Jennifer's hand. He still didn't trust the intruder, and wanted a chance to bite him or her in the leg. He growled low in his throat.

"Put the dog on the couch," the voice ordered. Jennifer obeyed. As soon as Freeway was down, Jennifer tried to run out of the room. The attacker blocked her way. Jennifer picked up a vase and threw it in the person's direction. Her attacker dodged, and came after Jennifer as the vase smashed against the wall. Freeway barked. He kept barking. Freeway managed to get his teeth in the intruder's leg. The intruder let out a howl of pain, and kicked Freeway out of the way. Freeway yelped. Jennifer picked up her coffee cup, and threw it. It splatted against the wall and left a stain as the remains of the cup and liquid ran down the wall. Jennifer looked around for something else to use as a weapon. She didn't use a gun very often, and didn't have one in this room. She made a mental note to remedy that situation. She threw some furniture in between her and her attacker, then Jennifer reached for a lamp. Her assailant caught her just as Jennifer was about to hit him or her over the head with it. Jennifer's assailant was much stronger than she, and soon Jennifer's arm was twisted up her back. Jennifer winced in pain. The assailant pulled a chloroform scented cloth out of his or her pocket, and held it over Jennifer's mouth and nose. Jennifer passed out. Freeway continued to bark and growl. The intruder held the cloth over his nose, and soon he too was out. Freeway was bound and gagged, and put into the closet. Jennifer was also tied up, gagged, and blindfolded. Her attacker slung Jennifer over his or her shoulder, and carried her outside to a waiting van. Jennifer was tossed inside, next to the body of the groundskeeper. The groundskeeper was tossed outside the van and onto the lawn. The attacker slammed the van doors shut, and drove down the driveway. Using the groundskeeper's card, the gate was opened. The van drove away, with Jennifer captive and inside.

Jonathan sat in his meeting at Hart Industries. He listened as figures were gone over, and suggestions for buying out struggling businesses were made. He really didn't want to be here. But, as CEO of Hart Industries, he had to. He took another sip of coffee, while wishing for something stronger, and tried to stay awake and look interested. Deanne, his secretary, came into the room.

"Pardon the interruption, Mr. Hart. I have an urgent message." She handed him a note. Jonathan read it and stood up.

"Excuse me, but I have to leave. There is a family matter I must attend to." Jonathan left the room with a quick, dignified stride, as his colleagues murmured amongst themselves, wondering what was going on. They knew that Jennifer and Max were the only family Jonathan had, and hoped nothing had happened to either of them. He went to Deanne's desk. "Who sent this?"

"I don't know, Mr. Hart. It was called in by a woman."

Jonathan got into the elevator and read the note again.

"Your wife has met with a serious accident. Come home at once." It was unsigned. The elevator reached the parking garage, and opened in front of Jonathan's car. He ran to the car, jumped in, and drove quickly home. He drove up the canyon roads with little regard for the speed limit. Soon, he was at the front gates of his property. He slammed his card into the electronic gate keeper, and impatiently waited for the gates to open. As soon as they did, he floored the gas and drove up to the front door. Jonathan slammed on the brakes, nearly giving himself whiplash, and stopped the car. He jumped out of it, and ran to the door.

Unlocking it, he ran inside. "Jennifer! JENNIFER!" Jonathan ran through the main floor of the house. He spied the open door of Jennifer's office. Looking inside, he saw signs of a struggle. Jonathan saw Jennifer's typewriter with the blank paper in it. He saw the remains of the coffee cup and the vase on the wall and the floor. He saw overturned furniture. "Jennifer! Where are you?" He heard faint whimpering from the closet. Opening the door, Jonathan saw Freeway, bound and gagged, and struggling to get free. He picked him up and sat down with him on the couch. "Who did this to you, boy?" Jonathan asked as he untied the dog. "What happened?" Freeway whimpered as Jonathan petted him. Jonathan went to the phone with the dog under his arm, and then decided to use the one in the living room instead. He picked up the phone and dialed.

"This is Jonathan Hart. Get me the police right away."

"LAPD"

"This is Jonathan Hart. Put me through to Lieutenant Harry Moss right away! It's an emergency."

Jonathan waited impatiently for his call to go through. The Lieutenant came on the line.

"Jonathan, what's wrong?"

"I just came home and found signs of a struggle. Jennifer is gone. I think she's been kidnapped."

"We will be right there."

Jonathan made one more call. This time to his friend, Charlie Townsend.

"Hello."

"Charlie, it's Jonathan."

"Jonathan, how are you?"

"Terrible. Jennifer's been kidnapped. I need help finding her."

"I've got some new Angels ready for action. I'll get them right on it. In the meantime, get over to my agency. I'll call the Angels."

"Thanks, Charlie."

Jonathan put down the phone and ran out the door.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Monday morning, 9:50 am

Sarah Munroe drove her red VW convertible to the offices of Townsend Investigations. She parked out front, and looked at the building for a moment. Memories flooded her mind. Sarah had spent many happy moments and many scared moments within its walls. As a young girl, she had lived with her sisters, Kris and Jill, who had also worked for Charlie Townsend. They had gone on to pursue other careers after they had gotten tired of the detective business. Sarah had just finished her college and detective training, and was hired by Charlie. Ever since she was a teenager, and saw all the excitement, danger, and drama her sisters had experienced while working for Charlie, she knew that was what she wanted to do. She checked her watch, and decided it was time to go in. She picked up her purse and got out of the car. Sarah was tall and slim, with blue green eyes and a slender build. She walked with a confident stride into the building. Anyone who knew her well would not be fooled. She was nervous and excited about starting her new job.

Sarah walked down the familiar hallway. She tucked a strand of blonde hair behind her ear as she looked around. The inside of the building hadn't changed much in the few years it was empty. Charlie had closed the agency when all of his former angels had either retired or decided to pursue other careers, but he had kept the building. When he hired Sarah and her friends, he had opened it back up and cleaned out the dust. Now it was ready for action. Sarah hoped she was as well. She went into the office, and saw Scott Woodville, Jr. waiting for the arrival of the new Angels. He had been behind the desk, but rose when she came in. He was tall and thin, in his late 30's, with thinning brown hair.

"Hello, Sarah," he said warmly.

"Hi, Scott. How are you?" She extended her hand for shaking.

"Very well, thank you. Would you care for something to drink?"

"At 10:00 in the morning?"

"As you probably know, Charlie keeps his bar stocked for his clients. We also have some coffee, soft drinks, juices, and bottled water."

"I'll take the water, please."

Lisa Kishi came into the office. Her parents were from Japan. They had passed on the classic Japanese beauty to Lisa. She was of medium height, slender, with silky black hair that fell down to her shoulder blades. Like Sarah, she had always thought that crime prevention was an interesting field. When she was younger, she liked to take apart old appliances and electronic devices, and rebuild them into other things. She had studied sciences and technology in college, where she and Sarah had been roommates.

"Hi,'" she said.

"Lisa!" Sarah exclaimed as she gave her friend a hug.

"Hello, Lisa," said Scott. "Would you like something to drink?" He winked at Sarah as he made the offer. "We have coffee, soft drinks, juices, and water. We also have stronger drinks."

"I'll take the water, Scott."

Scott went behind the bar and got out two bottles of water as the third Angel, Kianna Morgan, came in. She was tall and thin, and had creamy cocoa colored skin. Her hair was pulled back into a bun. Kianna had grown up in Watts, a predominantly black area of Los Angeles. She was street smart. Her parents were not wealthy, and she had gone to college on a scholarship. As a child, Kianna had once tried to steal some candy from a local grocery store. Her pastor had caught her, and helped her turn her life around before she went down the wrong path. Kianna was tough, and could hold her own in a fight. She was also an expert at martial arts.

"Hey, everyone!"

"Kianna!" Lisa and Sarah exclaimed as they hugged her.

"Hello, Kianna," Scott welcomed her. "I'm getting the other girls some water. What would you like?"

"I'll take the water too, please."

Water in hand, the three new Angels sat on one of the couches. The phone rang. Scott answered.

"Good morning. Townsend Associates."

"Good morning, Scott, Angels."

Only Sarah knew the drill. "Good morning, Charlie." Lisa and Kianna looked at each other.

"Good morning, Sarah. Are Lisa and Kianna there as well?"

"We're here, Mr. Townsend," Lisa responded for both of them.

"Good morning, Lisa. Please call me Charlie."

"Good morning, Charlie."

"Good morning, Charlie." Kianna spoke up.

"Good morning, Kianna. Now that everyone is here, we can start going over the terms of your employment. Scott, if you would please pass out the folders..."

"Right here, sir." Scott picked up the manilla folders on his desk and passed them out to the Angels. "Inside these folders, you will find your employment contract, health and car insurance forms, and tax forms, and temporary PI licenses, which will work until we can get your pictures taken and permanent ones issued. Please fill out the forms and get them back to me as soon as you can." He handed them each a pen and they got to work.

"Most of these forms are pretty self explanatory, Angels," Charlie began. "You will need to give Scott your driver's licenses, birth certificates, and social security cards so that he can copy them. Be sure you fill out the tax and insurance forms. Each of you will recieve a company car. You may also use it for personal use. I will pay the insurance premiums and maintenance on them. You buy the gas."

"Sounds like a plan, Charlie," Sarah said as she started to fill in forms. Wow, Charlie had thought of everything. They would have expense accounts for things they might need while handling a case. They would have medical and dental insurance, as well as workmen's compensation, should they get hurt in the line of duty. Charlie would also cover any medical and hospitalization for injuries sustained on the job. If they were killed, Charlie would cover the funeral expenses. None of the Angels like to think of that part. There was a clause in the contract advising them to get their affairs in order, just in case. Sarah winced and signed it, as did Lisa and Kianna.

"Now for your cars, " Charlie said as Scott held up three key rings.

"Come outside, and I will show you your cars, ladies," Scott said, and led the way out back. Four sleek, top of the line cars were parked there. One was a bright red Ferrari. Scott pointed at it. "That one is mine."

"Whoa," said the girls.

"Charlie's taste in cars is definitely improving," Sarah said as she looked at the other three cars. There was a black Trans-Am Firebird, a white Corvette, and a bright blue Camaro. "Do we get to pick?" she asked Scott.

"Sarah, you get the Trans-Am. It's already registered in your name." Scott handed Sarah the keys and she jumped into the driver's seat of her new car. It had everything a person could possibly want in a car. The seats were of fine leather. It had a state of the art stereo system with both AM/FM radio, and cassette player, as well as surround sound speakers. Of course, there was a car phone with a hands free speaker option. It was an automatic transmission car. Sarah looked at the instrument panel. There were more gizmos and gadgets there than she could figure out. As long as the gas, battery, and oil levels were good, she was fine. She hoped there was an owner's manual in the glove box. Sarah got out of her new car.

"I love it, Scott. But what do I do with my old car?"

"Keep it or sell it, it's up to you."

Sarah loved her little VW convertible. It had been a graduation from high school gift, and had seen her through college and the police academy. She decided to put it into storage for now, until she could reach a permanent solution. Lisa was exclaiming over the Corvette, and Kianna was admiring the Camaro. Each of them had everything one could possibly want in a car, and the latest features available, as well as the car phone. The three Angels pocketed their new keys and went back into the office with Scott. The phone rang just as they came in. Scott hit the speaker button.

"Townsend Associates."

"Are you pleased with your new vehicles, Angels?" Charlie asked as the girls returned to their paperwork.

"We are, Charlie," they chorused.

"You are about to get a chance to use them. An old friend of mine, Jonathan Hart, has just phoned me."

"Jonathan Hart, the multi millionaire?" Sarah asked.

"Yes, that is the one. He and I have been friends for many years. I sit on the board of directors of his company, Hart Industries."

"So, why did he call, Charlie?" asked Lisa.

"His wife, Jennifer, has been kidnapped. He would like us to try to find her. He's on his way to the office right now."

Just then, there was a knock on the door, and Jonathan Hart poked his head in. The girls had seen him on tv and in the newspapers before, but his handsomeness up close was something else to be reckoned with. He had dark brown hair, and blue eyes. He had even white teeth. Each of the girls stared momentarily. Scott looked at them with some amusement and rose from his desk.

"Good morning, Mr. Hart. Welcome to Townsend Investigations. Please be seated. May I offer you a drink?"

The girls stood up to welcome Jonathan.

"Good morning, Scott. I know it's early, but do you have any scotch and soda?"

"Coming right up, Mr. Hart. Girls, why don't you introduce yourselves?"

Sarah extended her hand. "I'm Sarah Munroe. Nice to meet you, sir."

"Munroe. Your sisters used to work for Charlie."

"Yes, sir. "

"I am glad to see you are carrying on the tradition. I am sure you will do as good a job as they did."

"Thank you, sir."

Lisa was next. "I am Lisa Kishi. Nice to meet you, Mr. Hart."

"You too, Miss Kishi."

"And I am Kianna Morgan. It's a pleasure to meet you, sir."

"I am pleased to make your acquaintance as well, Miss Morgan." The pleasantries out of the way, Scott handed Jonathan his drink. "Thank you. Please, ladies, sit down." The girls sat on the couch facing the doorway, as Jonathan and Scott sat on the opposite couch.

"Suppose you tell us what happened, Mr. Hart," Scott began.

Jonathan took a sip of his drink. "This morning, our butler left on vacation. My wife and I drove him to the airport. We went home. I got some papers that I needed for a business meeting today. They were in my home office. I told my wife goodbye, and left for my meeting. She was going to stay home and work on her latest magazine article. I went to my meeting, and my secretary gave me a message. It said that Jennifer, my wife, had been in a serious accident, and I needed to get home right away, which I did. There was no sign of Jennifer. Our dog had been gagged and stuffed in a closet."

"Was there any sign of forced entry, Mr. Hart?" Lisa asked.

Jonathan shook his head. "None. There were some signs of a struggle in Jennifer's office, but other than that, nothing."

"Mr. Hart, do you have any enemies?" Kianna enquired.

"Lots of them. Jennifer and I have solved some cases, and sent people to jail. I've also made enemies in the business world. Jennifer has written newspaper and magazines articles that have ruffled some feathers. The possibilities are endless."

"I guess it would be hard to find out who could hate you so much and why," Lisa said, "and almost impossible to find everyone who's ever been annoyed by a newspaper or magazine article."

"You are right, Miss Kishi. I would like you girls to go to my office with me, and make some discreet inquiries. We will compare notes later this afternoon."

"Yes, Mr. Hart. We'll also need to go over your house where your wife was last seen." Sarah said as the Angels stood up to leave, and followed Jonathan out of the office.

"Whose car are we going to take?" Lisa asked as they left. Scott smiled and shook his head. He could hardly wait to drive his new Ferrari when he first got it, and imagined the girls felt the same way about their new cars.

The three Angels rode up to the Hart residence in Sarah's Trans Am. They had a brief discussion over which car to take. Knowing Mr. Hart needed to start looking for his wife, they had kept it short, and gravitated towards Sarah's car. They could work it out more diplomatically later. The girls were impressed with the Hart house. They followed Jonathan to the front door, where they parked their car and got out. The police were already there, going over the house and grounds. An officer came running up to them.

"Mr. Hart!"

Jonathan turned from the door he was about to unlock. "Yes?"

"Mr. Hart, we found a body at the side of the house. "

"Show me." Jonathan ran behind the police officer, with the Angels following him. They ran around to the side of the house, and saw a body lying on the ground, just out of view of anyone passing by the house. It was a man's body, and he had been shot in the back. This was the Angels' first encounter with a dead body. Each of them was rather grossed out, but managed to overcome it. They had to put personal discomfort aside and be professional. The Angels looked over the body, as did the police. Sarah looked around the area. "Lisa! Kianna!"

Her fellow Angels came running. "What?"

Sarah pointed to the ground. "Tire tracks. Look like they came from a large vehicle, probably a truck or a van. We need to get the cops to take a plaster cast of this right away." Sarah looked around, and saw Lieutenant Moss talking with Jonathan. She approached them.

"Yes, Sarah?" Jonathan asked.

"Mr. Hart, we found tire tracks next to the body. We'd like the police to take a plaster cast of them."

"And who might you be, Miss?" asked Moss.

"My name is Sarah Munroe. I work for Charlie Townsend." She flashed her badge at him. "My associates are over there going over the tire tracks and looking for evidence as to who could have taken Mrs. Hart. "

"I hired the Townsend Agency to help you out," Jonathan said.

"Very well." Moss didn't want a bunch of female private eyes on his turf, but if Jonathan had hired them, there wasn't much he could do about it. He and Jonathan followed Sarah over to the tire tracks. Kianna had taken pictures.

Lisa and Kianna looked up. "We think it was a truck or a van. Somehow, they got onto the grounds and in the house."

Jonathan looked at the body. "That's Harry Jones, our groundskeeper. Whoever took Jennifer probably took his van and used it as a getaway vehicle."

Moss signaled to his men. One of them came over. "Get a plaster cast of this right away." The officer nodded and ran to do his bidding. The forensic team covered the body and loaded it onto a stretcher.

"Mr. Hart, we will need to look inside your house to see if there are any clues in there," Sarah said.

"Of course." Jonathan led to the way back to the house. He opened the door for the Angels, and led them to Jennifer's office. "She was working on a magazine article in here. Apparently, there was a fight in here as well. I found the dog in this closet." Jonathan opened the closet door for them. They looked around inside. Other than Jonathan having found the dog in there, there was nothing out of the ordinary. The girls noted the signs of the struggle-the smashed vase, the remains of the coffee cup on the floor, the coffee on the wall. There was some overturned furniture. Kianna looked around the room, and went to the closet for another look. She found a small rag. Picking it up, she gave it a quick whiff.

"Probably chloroform. I'll get this to the lab." Kianna took a small plastic bag out of her pocket, and carefully put the rag into it. Sarah and Lisa looked over the furniture. Lisa looked at the windows with the floor to ceiling drapes. One was more open than the other.

"Mr. Hart, are these drapes usually opened or closed?"

"Max, our butler, often draws them closed in the daytime to keep dust out. Mrs. Hart sometimes opens them when she's working to let sunshine in."

The girls and Jonathan looked carefully around the windows, which extended from the ceiling to floor. Sarah saw a partial muddy footprint. She took out her pocket camera, and took a picture.

Jonathan looked at the window latch. It was unfastened. "This is probably how the intruder got in. Funny he didn't set off any alarms."

"I'll dust it for fingerprints." Sarah took out her fingerprint kit and got to work. "Do you have an alarm service, Mr. Hart?"

"We do. I may have forgotten to set it when we took Max to the airport. I will call them and see." Jonathan excused himself and went into the living room to make the call.

"I'll look outside for more footprints." Lisa went back outside and inspected the ground under the window. Kianna was busy taking pictures of the evidence of the struggle.

Lisa came back in. "I got pictures of the footprints. There are some right under this window. Now, I guess we go back to the office with the evidence that we've collected, and go over it."

Jonathan came in to the room, with Freeway in his arms. "I just spoke to my alarm service. I did set the alarm. Whoever broke in here, knew how to disable it."

"Mr. Hart, we've collected enough evidence to start our investigation. We will need to get Lieutenant Moss' number, so that we can coordinate our efforts with him. We're going to go back to our office now, and go through what we have. We will be at your office later this afternoon. If you think of anything else, please call us," Sarah said.

"Thank you, ladies."

"You're welcome, Mr. Hart. Goodbye." The Angels left the room, got Lt. Moss' number, and drove back to their office.

Jennifer lay on a cold stone floor in a dark room. She was still unconcious, and bound and gagged. The chloroform slowly began to wear off. Jennifer opened her eyes. She tried to lift her head, but it felt heavy. She felt dizzy, and closed her eyes again. She lay on the floor for some time until the dizziness wore off. Jennifer opened her eyes again. She tried to lift her head off of the cement floor. It still felt heavy. She laid her head back down on the floor. A door opened, and light came in. Jennifer winced at the sudden brightness.

"You are awake, I see," said the voice of her captor. Jennifer lay motionless. The person approached Jennifer, reached down, and roughly pulled her into a sitting position. "There, now I can talk to you better." Jennifer closed her eyes, and wondered who had taken her and why. "Look at me when I am talking to you!" the person demanded. Jennifer opened her eyes, and looked into the eyes behind the ski mask covering the face of her captor. "Do you know who I am?" demanded the voice. Jennifer shook her head. Her captor took off the ski mask. "Now do you recognize me?" Jennifer looked closely. It was a woman's face, and there was something familiar about her. Jennifer couldn't quite put her finger on it. She shook her head. "Of course you don't. You didn't recognize me back then either, even when you saw me every day. You were always so busy with your friends, being popular, and never having time for the unimportant ones. That is about to change, Jennifer Edwards. You think you are so smart, having it all. Well, you won't have it all now!" With that, Jennifer's captor marched out of the room. Jennifer was stunned. Who would hate her so badly to want to do this to her? Jennifer sat and thought about the people she had met in her lifetime. She had met many people over the years, and as far as she knew, didn't have any enemies. Maybe Jonathan did in the business world, but what would that have to do with her? Unless someone was trying to get back at Jonathan. But the person didn't mention Jonathan. Jennifer leaned her head back against the wall behind her. She wondered where Jonathan was.

The person's voice was vaguely familiar. She had mentioned Jennifer being popular. It must be an old school acquaintance. She had callled Jennifer "Jennifer Edwards," which was her maiden name, and not "Jennifer Hart." Jennifer wracked her brain. Who could it be? Obviously, it was someone who hadn't liked her very much. It had been many years since she had been in school. That was a long time to hold a grudge.

The Angels arrived at their office. "Any luck, girls?" Scott asked as they flopped onto the couches and chairs, and tried to mentally piece together the evidence they had collected. Sarah shook her head.

"We found some tire tracks, a dead body, and signs of struggle in Mrs. Hart's home office," Sarah leaned back in her chair and massaged her temples.

"We took pictures, and had the police make a plaster cast of the tire tracks," added Lisa.

"And we dusted for fingerprints, and I found a cholorform rag," Kianna chimed in.

"So, now we process this," Sarah said. "Who wants to do what? We need to develop the film, analyze the prints, and see what we can find out from that rag."

"I sometime dabble in photography, and use my bathroom as a dark room," Kianna volunteered. "I'll develop your pictures and mine."

"I'll run the prints and the rag over to the lab," Lisa said.

"I'll go with you. Maybe they have the plaster cast of the tire tracks ready." Sarah handed her camera over to Kianna. "Let's go. We'll be back in a couple of hours, Scott."

"See you," Scott waved as they went out the door.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Jonathan was on the phone in his home office. Freeway sat at his feet. He had already seen one of his people hurt, and decided to keep on eye on this one. Jonathan called the company that serviced his grounds. He had had to search for the number. Max and Jennifer usually handled those details. Since neither one was around, Jonathan was on his own.

"Stay Green Lawn Service.

"Jonathan Hart here. Let me speak to the owner."

"I'm sorry, Mr. Hart. Mr. Jones, the owner went out on a call today, and hasn't returned yet."

"Would that call happen to have been to my house?"

"Let me look that up." There was a slight pause, then the voice came back on the line. "Yes, Mr. Hart, Mr. Jones was scheduled to come to your place at 11:00 this morning. He never returned."

"I see. If there is any contact either from or about Mr. Jones, please let me know."

"Yes, sir, Mr. Hart."

Jonathan hung up. Then he dialed another number. "Lieutenant Moss, please."

"Moss here."

"Harry, it 's Jonathan. Has Mr. Jones' family been notified yet?"

"No, sir. We were just finishing going over the body."

"And what have you found?"

"That he died from a single gunshot wound to his back. All of his ID was stolen. How does he usually get onto your grounds?"

"Either we buzz him in, or he uses his card."

"Is it possible that Mrs. Hart let him in?" 

"I suppose it is. Why do you ask?"

"Because we can't find the electronic key for your house."

"I will be over soon. I want to notify his family first. Give me his address."

Jonathan wrote down the address he was given, and went out the door. He made doubly sure the alarm was set.

Natalie Miller woke up with a smile on her face. She had spent the last several months plotting her move. She knew the Harts' schedules. She knew that Max would be on vacation, and that Jonathan would be tied up in a meeting. She knew Jennifer would be home alone. It was the perfect time to kidnap Jennifer and make her pay. Natalie had the key to the grounds. Getting into the house would be a snap.

She had taken the first steps towards revenge on her one major nemesis in her life. Now she was ready to take more. It hadn't been easy stealing the groundskeeper's van and killing him. She had had to call around to various lawn and gardening businesses for months, before she found the one she was looking for. Even then, not all of them would tell her what she needed to know. Why were people so uncooperative? It was only when she posed as a police officer with a fake badge that she got her information. She knew when the Hart's grounds would be serviced. Their lawn was large enough that it sometimes required more than one gardener to care for it. Natalie had lucked out that day. The second gardener who usually went with Harry had called in sick. Harry went to the Hart's house alone. They hadn't needed much work done this week, and Harry felt he could handle it.

At Stay Green Lawn Service, Harry was whistling as he loaded his van with equipment. His first stop would be at the Hart residence. It would only take an hour or so, then he would do the other houses on his route. Harry climbed into his van. He adjusted the mirrors and fastened his seat belt. He set the radio to his favorite station. Then he started his van and drove towards the Hart residence. Harry had only gone a few blocks when he felt the gun next to his temple.

"Turn right at the next light," a voice ordered. "There is a park there. You will pull the van into the parking area and shut it off."

"Then what?"

"You will find out."

Harry had no choice but to obey the voice. He dutifully pulled the van into the parking area and stopped. He was about to ask what next, when the bullet went through his back. Harry slumped over the wheel. Natalie pulled him out of the seat and dragged him to the back of the van. She put on gloves, and went through his pockets. She pulled out his wallet and looked inside. Natalie found what she was looking for: an electronic key card with the address 3100 Willow Pond Road, Bel Air, CA and the name Jonathan Hart.

Natalie drove the van to the Harts' estate. They lived somewhat apart from their neighbors, so Natalie was not worried about being seen. She stopped at the gate, and inserted the card into the electronic gate keeper. The gates buzzed, and then swung open. Natalie drove the van onto the grounds. Jennifer had done quite well marrying Jonathan Hart, Natalie noted. She had read that Jonathan was an orphan, and had started his own company with $1500 and a shrewd business sense. It had grown from there into the world wide conglomeration it was today. Natalie wasn't sure if she should demand a ransom, or just try to assume Jennifer's life. Either way, she should benefit from Jonathan's riches.

Natalie drove around the side of the house and parked the van. She climbed out, and steathily made her way around the back of the house, where she knew Jennifer's home office was. The curtains were open slightly, and Natalie watched as Jennifer loaded her typewriter with paper, and then stared at it for a moment. Then Jennifer got up and left the room. Natalie quickly looked for the alarm wires that were connected to the window. She followed them back to the box, and disabled them. She ran back to the window. No sign of Jennifer yet. Natalie jimmied open the window and stepped in. She pulled the drapes closed and hid behind them. Jennifer came back into her office with her dog at her heels. The dog started to growl. This could complicate things. Natalie knew how to take care of him and Jennifer. She fingered the bottle of chloroform in her pocket.

A couple of hours later, the Angels met back at the office. Kianna had the photographs, and Lisa and Sarah had the lab reports. They all sat at the circular table in behind the couches. Kianna spread out the pictures. Sarah and Lisa put the lab reports on the table next to them.

"What do we have?" Sarah asked as she surveyed the pictures. She quickly glanced over the ones of the dead body. That was one part of the job she could do without. She pushed her own emotions aside and concentrated on the lab reports.

Kianna picked up the rag. "Chloroform. Mrs. Hart was apparently subdued with it. The dog might've been as well."

Lisa looked at the pictures in front of her. "The getaway vehicle was definitely a van, possibly belonging to the lawn service."

Sarah studied the pictures for a moment. "So, let's go over what we have so far. The intruder somehow got onto the grounds. He disabled the alarm, and climbed in the window of Mrs. Hart's study. He killed the landscaper, and stole the van, and put Mrs. Hart inside. Now we need to find out who took her and why."

"The eternal question," Lisa mused.

"I say we go over to Mr. Hart's office and start interviewing employees." Sarah started to gather up the photos.

"But Hart Industries is a world wide conglomerate. How can we possibly get them all?" Kianna wondered.

"We'll start with the local ones and work from there," Sarah said as she led the way out of the office.

The girls piled into Kianna's Camaro. Sarah picked up the phone and dialed Jonathan's number.

"Mr. Hart, this is Sarah Munroe. We are on our way to your office right now. Can you please meet us there?" She put down the phone.

"Was he there?" Lisa asked from the backseat.

"No. I got his answering service. I hope he gets the message."

The car continued on its way to downtown LA and the main office of Hart Industries. The girls saw the building when they were a block away. Each of them looked at it in awe.

"Holy cow!" Lisa breathed.

"I want to be a multi millionaire when I grow up," Kianna said.

"Me too." Sarah continued to look at the building as they approached it, until they were too close to look at it any longer. Kianna pulled into the parking garage and looked for a space. After driving through several levels, they finally found one. The girls made a note of where their car was, and disembarked.

"I hope Mr. Hart is in his office after all of that," Kianna said as she led the way into the building. The girls stopped at the bank of elevators. They looked at the directory, and found Jonathan's office was on the top floor. They got in the elevator and rode up. Deanne, Jonathan's secretary, was at her desk right in front of Jonathan's door.

"May I help you?" She asked as the Angels approached her desk.

"We are here to see Mr. Hart," Sarah said firmly.

"Do you have an appointment?"

"He'll see us," Lisa told her.

Deanne looked at the three girls. "I'm sorry, but Mr. Hart does not see anyone without an appointment."

"He'll see us," Sarah responded.

Deanne picked up the phone. She hit the intercom button. No answer.

"Mr. Hart does not seem to be in his office at the moment. If you will leave your names and a message, I will see that he gets it."

Sarah pulled out her business card. "We are from the Townsend Agency. Please have Mr. Hart call us as soon as possible."

She handed the card to Deanne, and the three Angels left.

"Now what?" Kianna wondered as they got back onto the elevator.

Jennifer was sleepy, so sleepy. The drugs made her brain foggy and it was hard to think. Jennifer kept wondering who took her and why. She

scootched back down to a lying down position and closed her eyes. Maybe sleep would make her feel better. Soon, she was in a doze, not really asleep, not really awake. She began to dream. Jennifer saw herself as a young girl, around 13 or 14 years old. She was dressed in her school uniform which consisted of a dark blue and white plaid skirt, white blouse with a Peter Pan collar, dark blue sweater, and saddle shoes. Her red hair was cut into a pageboy, and she wore a blue head band. She was surrounded by several friends, and they were talking and laughing. Jennifer noticed a group of girls off by themselves. Jennifer and her friends walked past them on their way to class. Jennifer smiled and said hi, while the rest of her friends ignored them. Jennifer noticed one girl even further off by herself. She smiled at her. There was no answer. Jennifer continued on with her friends to class.

Jennifer squirmed in her restless sleep. Dreams and memories would start to materialize, then fade. She kept seeing the one girl by herself. The name started to come to her. It started with an N. Nan?... Nancy?... Nellie?... Natalie? Natalie! That was it! What was the last name? It would come to her if she thought hard enough. Jennifer relaxed, and her sleep deepened. She knew Jonathan would be trying to find her. She hoped he would figure it out soon. This floor was very uncomfortable, and Natalie was crazy. "Hurry, Jonathan!"


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Jonathan pulled up in front of Harry Jones' home. It was a small house, in a quiet neighborhood of Los Angeles. Jonathan got out of his car and walked up the front walkway. He rang the doorbell. It was opened by a middle aged woman with graying hair and glasses.

"Mrs. Jones?"

"Yes?"

"I am Jonathan Hart. Your husband services my grounds. May I come in?"

Mrs. Jones was a little taken aback. "Yes, but of course." She opened the door wider to let Jonathan in.

"Won't you sit down, Mr. Hart? Can I get you anything?"

"No, thank you, Mrs. Jones. I won't be staying long. I am afraid I have some bad news."

Mrs. Jones' hand flew to her mouth.

"Your husband was killed today when he was on his way to my house. The police are looking into it."

Mrs. Jones began to cry. "Why Harry?"

Jonathan took her in his arms and held her. "Mrs. Jones, I am very sorry. I will take care of the funeral expenses, and if you need anything. please don't hesitate to ask."

"Thank you, Mr. Hart."

"You are welcome. I will be in touch."

Jonathan left. He got into his car and checked for messages. There was one from Sarah, asking to meet him at his office. He called his secretary, Deanne.

"Mr. Hart, here, Deanne.. Have the Townsend people been there yet?"

"They just left, Mr. Hart."

Jonathan swore under his breath. "OK, I will try to call them. If you see or hear from them again, please tell them to meet me there."

"Yes, sir."

Jonathan hung up and sped towards his office. He arrived shortly, and parked in his reserved spot directly across from the elevators. Jonathan jumped out of his car, and quickly went inside the elevators and rode up to the top floor.

From her desk in the secretarial pool, Natalie watched Jonathan as he strode by. He seemed to be very intent on reaching his destination quickly. He usually greeted his employees with a smile or at least a nod, but not today. Natalie tried to smile at him and catch his eye. Jonathan walked past her work station and headed for the elevator. He punched the up button. Natalie watched him as he got into the elevator and rode up to his office on the top floor. "Soon, my love, we will be together. It will be alright. You'll see." Natalie sighed. Her typing forgotten for the moment, she daydreamed of herself and Jonathan Hart together.

The Angels were once again on their way to the office, when the car phone rang. Sarah was in the front seat and answered. She wasn't sure how to answer.

"Um, Townsend Associates? "

"This is Jonathan Hart."

"Yes, Mr. Hart. This is Sarah."

"Sarah, I would like you and your associates to meet me back at my office. My secretary will let you in this time. Just come on up."

"OK, Mr. Hart. We will. We will be right there." Sarah put down the phone. "Mr. Hart wants us to go back to his office," she told the others.

Kianna looked for a break in the traffic, flipped a U turn, and headed back towards Hart Industries.

Once back at Hart Industries, the Angels once again got into the elevator, and rode up to Jonathan's office. They were again greeted by Deanne. She picked up the intercom. "The Townsend people are here, Mr. Hart."

"Send them right in."

"Mr. Hart will see you now. " Deanne got up from her desk and led the way over to Jonathan's office. She opened the door and gestured for the Angels to go inside.

Jonthan rose from his desk as they came in. "Please. Sit down." Jonathan indicated the chairs in front of his desk. The Angels sat. Jonathan sat after they were seated. He leaned back in his chair, put his hands under his chin, and put his index fingers together, as he looked at the Angels. "What have you found out?"

Lisa and Kianna looked at Sarah. They were nominating her for the job as spokesperson for the group. She took a breath and began. "Mr. Hart, as you know, the vehicle that took your wife away was a van, more than likely belonging to your lawn service. " Jonathan nodded. "Mrs. Hart and your dog were drugged with chloroform. We have pictures of the footprints around your house and in Mrs. Hart's study. They belong to a person who might be small in stature. The crime lab is running the fingerprints through the computer right now. Other than that, we really don't have much to go on."

"We've discussed the possibility of interviewing your employees to see if any of them might have a grudge against you or Mrs. Hart," Lisa said. "We'd like to start doing that as soon as possible."

Jonathan nodded again. "It is late in the day, so you may start in the morning. I'd like you all to go undercover as my employees, so as not to arouse suspicion." He reached for the intercom. "Deanne, I'd like you and Stanley to come in here, please."

"Yes, sir, Mr. Hart."

In a few moments, Deanne and Stanley appeared in Jonathan's office. Deanne had her notepad. Stanley was short and mousy looking. His hair was balding, and he wore glasses. Stanley was wondering why he had been summoned to Jonathan's office. Usually, he was asked to bring files or figures in. Stanley's questions would soon be answered. Jonathan indicated that they should sit with the Angels. He introduced them all. "Deanne and Stanley are two of my most trusted employees, " he said. "You can tell them any thing." The Angels nodded.

"Now, I supposed you two are wondering why I've asked you in here," Jonathan said to Deanne and Stanley. "I do not want this to leave this room. Mrs. Hart was kidnapped this morning." Deanne and Stanley gasped. "So far, I've been able to keep it out of the media, and I'd like to continue to do so. These three ladies here," he indicated the Angels, "work for Charlie Townsend. I have hired them to help find my wife. Starting tomorrow, I would like them to pose as employees to see if anyone on my staff might be responsible. Stanley, where do we have job vacancies?"

"I would have to double check to be sure, but I think there is an opening in the mail room, one in the typing pool, and one on the janitorial staff."

"Ladies, which job would you like?"

"Mail room," said Lisa.

"Typing," said Kianna.

"I guess that leaves me with the janitor," Sarah said.

"Alright, ladies. Most shifts start at 8:00 in the morning. We will plan on that. I realize that you are still new at this. Now, in order to be less conspicous, you'd better leave your new cars home. Ride the bus or drive whatever you drove before Charlie let you have those cars. You want to be able to blend in easily."

"Yes, sir," all three Angels said.

"Stanley and Deanne will show you where to report," Jonathan told them. "See you tomorrow."

"Bye, Mr. Hart," the Angels said as they followed Stanley and Deanne out of the office. Each of them was shown where they would be working, and then they left. Once in the car, they had a conference.

"Ok, we probably shouldn't be seen together in the office," Sarah said.

"We'll have to either have walkie talkies or wait until after the office closes to compare notes," Kianna added.

"True," said Lisa.

"Let's go back to the office and see if Scott has any walkie talkies stashed anywhere," Sarah suggested. The Angels drove back to the office and made plans for the next day.

Sarah drove her VW bug home. She would've liked to have driven the Trans Am, but needed to leave it at the agency for now. She'd have to go back in a cab to get it later. Sarah unlocked the side door of the beach house and went inside. She went through the little hallway and into her bedroom. It used to Kris', but when she moved out, Sarah took it over. Kris had signed on with a Broadway touring company of Les Miserable, and she was thoroughly enjoying it. Jill had bought another house a little ways down the beach. Sarah saw her quite often. She liked living alone, but she was glad she could see at least one of her sisters from time to time. Sarah slipped off her leather jacket she had been wearing, and hung it up in the closet. She pulled out her pajamas and robe, and quickly changed into them. She slipped on her favorite slippers, and picking up the manila file folder she had brought in with her, she went out into the kitchen. She ws unprepared for the sight of someone leaning into her fridge. Sarah quietly put the folder down and sneaked up on the intruder. She raised her arm for a karate chop, when the person turned around. The would be karate yell turned into a shriek when Sarah saw who it was.

"JILL!" Sarah put her hand on her chest to slow her beating heart. "What are you doing here, and why are you in my fridge?"

Jill smiled her trademark smile at her youngest sister. "I forgot to go grocery shopping. There is nothing to eat at my house, and I was hungry, so I came here. And I wanted to hear how it went at the office today."

"You think _I've _had time to go shopping? With all the partying, and seeing Kris off? I started a new job today, and it will be a while before I get paid." Sarah referred to her family's festivities of celebrating her police academy graduation, and Kris leaving with her Broadway touring company.

"Aw, come on, Sarah! I'm hungry!" Jill whined.

Sarah looked in the fridge. "What happened to the milk and the lunch meat I had in here this morning?" She looked at her sister accusingly. Jill grinned sheepishly. "Jill, if you're going to keep doing this, you're going to have to help with the groceries!"

"Tell you what," Jill said, ready to make amends. She hadn't meant to eat her little sister out of house and home. "I'll spring for a pizza. Any kind you want."

"Deal, and you set the table." Sarah loved ordering her older sisters around. She figured it was payback for when she lived with them and they told her what to do. She picked up the phone and dialed the local pizza delivery service. Sarah placed the order, and then hung up.

"So, how was the job?" Jill climbed onto one of the bar stools.

"I can't tell you much, because it's confidential, but guess what kind of cars we've got!"

Jill squealed and ran to the window. "That's your VW!"

"I know. I need it for a little while longer, because of the case we're on. But I've got a Trans Am at the office." Sarah pulled the makings of a salad out of the refrigerator, surprised Jill hadn't eaten those as well.

"So, how about the job? Do you like it?"

"So far. Lisa, Kianna and I went to the office like Charlie told us to. We got a stack of forms to fill out, and then Scott showed us to our new cars. I got a Trans Am, Lisa got a Corvette, and Kianna got a Camaro."

"Whoa, Charlie's taste in cars is definitely improving."

"That's what I said too. Scott got a Ferrari."

"I want to see it!"

"Yeah, and you'd probably try to drive it too. "

Jill started to pick tomatoes out of the salad. Sarah slapped her hands back. "Leave those alone. I want some too. Anyway, we were filling out the forms, and we got our first case right away."

"Really?"

"Yeah, an old friend of Charlie's." 

"Charlie has a lot of old friends."

"He sure does. Let me ask you something. This guy owns his own company. He has tons of employees. We need to interview them. How do we do it?"

"Well, you'd want to find the ones who would be the most obvious."

"But it's like looking for a needle in a haystack! Tomorrow, we're going undercover in his main office."

"Just keep your eyes and ears open for anything suspicious." Jill looked in the wine rack on the counter. It was empty. "Do you have any wine?"

Sarah rolled her eyes at her sister. "Jill, you know I don't drink. We used the last of the wine at the party the other night, and I didn't bother to buy any more. There's probably some soda in the fridge, if you haven't drunk it all."

Jill looked inside the fridge. "It looks like the soda is gone too."

"Water it is, then." The pizza arrived. Jill paid for it and tipped the driver. "This is nice," Sarah said. "I haven't gotten to spend much time with you lately. We'll have to do this more often, as long as you don't empty out my fridge!"

Jill grinned around a mouthful of pizza. Some things never changed.

It was night. Jennifer sat on her cold prison floor and thought of Jonathan. She wondered where he was, and how he was. He must be worried sick about her. Of course, he would leave no stone unturned looking for her. The door opened, and bright light entered the room. Jennifer winced and turned her head away. Natalie entered with a tray of food.

"Jenny, oh, Jenny...I brought you something to eat," she singsonged. She knew Jennifer never liked to be called Jenny. She always wanted to be Jennifer. She was too good to use nicknames. Natalie looked at Jennifer with a smirk.

"Oh, Jenny, I saw your beloved Jonathan today. He never said a word about you. He must be glad that you're gone. You're a dead weight around his neck. He could be buying me jewels and furs, and taking me to exotic places. Soon, Jenny, I will free him from you."

Jennifer's eyes widened. Natalie placed the food in front of Jennifer. She untied Jennifer's hands and removed the gag. "Bon apetit, _Jenny_.Don't try to get away. I'm going to lock the door behind me. I'll be back in a little while to get your dishes. " Natalie left. Jennifer looked at the food with contempt. She wasn't hungry to begin with, and the condition of the food lessened her appetite even more. There were cold, greasy french fries, a cold, greasy burger, and a warm can of soda. Jennifer pushed the food away. She looked down. Natalie had untied her hands and removed the gag, but she had left her feet tied. Did she dare...? Jennifer started to reach for the bonds on her feet, when she heard Natalie coming. She pulled her hands back and busied them pretending to eat. Jennifer heard Natalie rattling the doorknob, and closed her eyes against the bright light she knew would come. Natalie entered. She looked down at the untouched plate.

"Oh, Jenny, you really need to eat. Here, let me help you." Natalie picked up the burger and held it in front of Jennifer's mouth. Jennifer turned her head away. "Oh, you don't want it? Come on, little baby, eat the nice hamburger."

Jennifer slapped the hamburger out of Natalie's hands. The burger flew across the room. Jennifer tried to leap to her feet, but they were tied. She fell over. "Why, you...!" Natalie cried.

She grabbed Jennifer's hands and tied them together. She walked across the room and picked up the burger. Burger in hand, she approached Jennifer. The look in her eyes was menacing. "You didn't eat the burger. Now I will MAKE you eat the burger." Natalie smashed the burger into Jennifer's face, trying to force it into her mouth. Jennifer kept her lips tightly closed.

"OK, since you don't appreciate good food, and didn't eat your dinner, there will be no breakfast for you tomorrow. My father taught me to never waste food, because we couldn't afford to. That plate of food is going to sit there until you eat it." Natalie left the room, and turned out the lights. Alone, Jennifer sobbed in the darkness. She had never felt so alone and miserable in her whole life. She wanted to be home. She missed Jonathan. She wanted to be with him and to feel his arms around her. She missed Max and Freeway. She just wanted to go home.

Natalie went into her bedroom and sat at her desk. Jennifer was so uncooperative! Natalie didn't remember Jennifer being that way in school. She was always so respectful and obedient to those in charge. But then again, none of them had ever tried to kidnap her. Natalie chuckled to herself. She got out of her chair, and went over to her bed. Kneeling down, she reached under and pulled out a scrapbook. Natalie sat on her bed and looked through it. It had pictures and articles of Jonathan and Jennifer. Natalie sighed as she looked at the pictures of Jonathan. She picked up a pen and drew a heart around his face. She went over to her bookshelf, and picked up a photo album. Natalie looked through until she found a picture of herself that was about the same size as one of the pictures of Jonathan in the scrapbook. She cut her face out of it. She found a picture of Jonathan and Jennifer together, and glued her face over Jennifer's. Natalie looked at the picture for a moment, and sighed. She returned to her desk and reached into a drawer for a piece of paper. Natalie sat down and began to write.

"My darling Jonathan..."

Natalie finished her letter and put it into an envelope. She addressed it carefully. She would drop it into the mailbox at the office tomorrow.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Jonathan sat in his study. A fire burned in the fireplace. Without Jennifer there to share it with him, it had lost its warmth and cheeriness. Jonathan leaned back on the sofa. He put his feet up on the footstool and stared into the fire. Freeway sat next to him. Jonathan scratched him from time to time as he thought over the day's events. He took a sip of brandy from the sifter at his elbow, and continued to think. Charlie's new Angels hadn't been able to find much yet. They were still new on the job. As a matter of fact, Charlie had told him it was their first day. Charlie had every confidence in them, though. He knew they might make some mistakes on the way, but they would get the job done. He was very careful about the people he hired. He had known Sarah since she was a teenager, and knew she was dependable. He had talked to the superior officers at the police academy, and to the girls' guidance counselors at the college. He was satisfied in his choice of hiring them. He gave Jonathan a glowing recommendation of them.

Jonathan thought over what he knew about Jennifer's disappearance. It wasn't much. The kidnapper had obviously stolen Harry's van and key card. Jonathan had called the alarm company and had new codes programmed into the cards, and the groundskeeper card deactivated. The Angels had taken footprints. They looked like they might belong to a small person. If that were the case, it might not be a man they were looking for. Jonathan puzzled it over in his mind.

Jonathan jumped slightly as the phone on the table next to him rang. Freeway also jumped. Jonathan's petting had lulled him into a half asleep state, and the phone ringing disrupted it. Jonathan picked up the phone. "Hello."

"Jonathan, it's Harry Moss. We found your groundskeeper's van."

"Where?"

"At th beach in Santa Monica. I've got men going over it right now."

"I'll be right there."

Harry quickly gave Jonathan directions to where they were and the two men hung up. Jonathan doused the fire. Grabbing his jacket, he went out the door. Freeway followed him as far as the door. Seeing that he wasn't going to be invited to go on this trip, he climbed onto the nearest couch and settled down for a nap.

Outside, once he was in his convertible, Jonathan pulled out the business card that Sarah had given him. He dialed the number printed on it. He left his message with the answering service. "This is Jonathan Hart. Please tell the Angels that our groundskeeper's van has been found in Santa Monica." He left directions and drove to meet the police. Three phones rang, three Angels got message, and they were all on their way to Santa Monica within minutes.

The Angels pulled up to the beach shortly after Jonanthan had arrived. They jumped out of Lisa's Corvette, and ran over to the van. The police were already crawling all over it, collecting evidence.

"Hello, Angels," Jonathan said.

"Hi, Mr. Hart," they answered.

"Have the police found anything?" Sarah asked.

"There are some gardening tools in there. Not much else. The police have dusted for finger prints, but there is only one set. I suspect they belong to Harry."

"Mind if we take a look inside?" Lisa asked. Jonathan indicated that they should proceed, and the Angels climbed into the van.

"More than likely Mrs. Hart would be in the back instead of the front," Kianna said. "Now, would she be lying down or sitting up?"

"Let's look at both angles, " Sarah said. The angels went to work.

"Kind of hard to see anything in the dark," Lisa remarked. "Lt. Moss, are you going to leave the van here or take it to the police station?"

"We will move it to the station as soon as my men finish going over it. Have you found anything?"

"Not yet. We'd like to come back in the daylight and look it over again."

Moss nodded.

"They will be interviewing my employees tomorrow, so they can come by the police station around 6:00. Right, ladies?" Jonathan said as he surveyed the scene.

"Yes, Mr. Hart."

The next morning dawned bright and early. Each of the Angels rolled out of bed and dressed for her new job at Hart Industries. Lisa got up, showered, and dressed in slacks and a blouse. She was told to wear clothes that looked professional, but that she didn't mind getting dirty. Employees of Jonathan Hart did not wear jeans and t-shirts on the job, no matter what their position. Lisa put on comfortable shoes. She got the feeling she would be on her feet a great part of the day. She went out to her kitchen area, and fixed a quick cup of coffee and toast. She gulped it down, and then checked her bag. In their afternoon meeting with Scott, the Angels had taken care of the rest of their paper work. They were issued concealed weapons permits, had their pictures taken for their badges, and were issued guns, walkie talkies, pepper spray, and other odds and ends a PI might need. Scott had mentioned the possibility of them getting mobile phones that they could carry with them. The technology was still in its infancy, and most phones were the size of bricks, but they were being improved upon and streamlined. For now, the walkie talkies and car phones would do. Lisa looked at her new PI badge with smile of satisfaction. She had worked hard to get this job, and she was going to give it her all. She quickly left her apartment, got into her old, second hand car, and drove to Hart Industries.

A few miles away, Kianna was also up getting and dressed. She once again pulled her dark hair into a bun. Kianna looked over her clothing for a minute, and then selected a dark blue skirt, white blouse, and dark blue blazer. She hated nylons, and refused to wear them. She put on low heeled pumps. Kianna looked at a pair of costume glasses, and rejected them. While it might make her look like a secretary, it would be overkill. She put the glasses back on her dresser. She quickly gathered her things, and looked around her little studio apartment to make sure she hadn't missed anything. It didn't look like she had, so she quickly ran out the door, locking it behind her. She gave her Camaro a longing glance, and then headed for the bus stop, as Jonathan had instructed.

Sarah got out of bed and quickly got dressed. She and Jill had talked for several hours last night, and then Mr. Hart had called. It was very late when she got to bed. Sarah wasn't sorry she had stayed up so late. She had asked Jill for pointers. Jill was very helpful, and told Sarah the kinds of things she should be on the watch for. Sarah felt confident that she could handle this assignment. She went out to the kitchen for some breakfast. She opened the breadbox. It was empty. "Jill!" Sarah shook her head. She was going to have to do something about Jill and her appetite. Tonight, Sara decided, she would eat at Jill's. There was not time to worry about it right now. Sarah looked down at the casual clothes she was wearing. The khaki pants and polo shirt would do. She was going to be issued a uniform when she got to the job. She pulled her shoulder length blonde hair into a pony tail. Sarah double checked her bag, and grabbed a piece of fruit that Jill had missed as she went out the door.

Kianna was shown to her workstation and introduced to her co-workers by Connie Lyons. Connie was middle aged, had graying hair that was pulled into a bun, and wore glasses. Kianna was glad she had left hers home. Connie looked like a stereo typical librarian. Connie cleared her throat to get the attention of all of the typists. "Ladies and gentlemen, this is our new associate, Kianna Morgan. She will be working with you. Please show her what to do, and be nice to her." Connie smiled. "Ms. Morgan, these are your coworkers- Jerry Martin, Jeffery Fellows, Judy Evans, Natalie Miller." Each person smiled and nodded. Kianna smiled and nodded back. "Take the empty desk next to Natalie, and I will give you your assignments," Connie directed.

"Yes, Ma'am." 

Connie left to get a stack of paperwork for Kianna. Kianna sat in the vacant desk next to Natalie. Kianna smiled. Natalie looked her over and smiled back. "Welcome to Hart Industries," Natalie said, slightly sarcastically.

"Thanks." Kianna turned her attention to Connie, who had returned with a stack of forms to be typed. Connie explained what needed to be done, and Kianna got to work. The morning passed rather quickly. Soon it was break time. Kianna followed her coworkers to the break room. As she got a drink and a snack, she listened to the idle gossip. There didn't seem to be much information she could use, but sometimes even the most insignificant remark could be useful. Kianna approached Judy and Natalie, who were seated on a couch. Kianna headed for the chair next to them.

"Hi. Mind if I sit here?"

"Not at all," said Judy. "How do you like the job so far?"

Kianna shrugged. "It's OK. How long have you two worked here?"

"I've been here six months," Natalie said as she put cream and sugar in her coffee.

"I've been here a few years," Judy said.

"Do you guys like it here?"

"It's been a good job for me so far," Judy said.

"Yes," Natalie added. "Mr. Hart is a wonderful boss."

"Do you ever see him?" Kianna asked. "I'd think in a company like this, the head honcho would be in his office while his underlings toiled."

"Oh, no," Natalie defended Jonathan. "Mr. Hart comes by every so often and says hello. He likes to get to know his employees. He's a great boss."

Kianna noted the stars in Natalie's eyes. Judy checked her watch. "We'd better get back to work, or he won't be our boss." The three of them rose and went back to their work stations.

Sarah pushed the cleaning cart along the hall. Her first assignment was the restrooms on the first floor. "Lovely," she said as she entered the ladies' room. Seeing no one around, she set out the "Closed" sign and got to work. She quickly scrubbed sinks and toilets and mopped the floor, while she wondered how on earth she was ever going to get information this way. She continued on to the mens' room, with a groan. "I hope we find the culprit soon," she thought as she called "HELLO!" into the mens's room. There was no answer in there, so once again she put out the sign and cleaned. She got out of there as fast as possible. On her way out, she bumped into Stanley. "Oh, excuse me!"

"Anything so far?" Stanley asked in a whisper.

Sarah shook her head, and pushed her cart on to the next set of restrooms.

:Lisa was sorting mail in the mailroom. "We sort the incoming mail according to floor. The office number will be on the envelope. Mr. Hart's mail will go into this bin here, and his secretary will go through it," Michael, the mailroom supervisor told her. "If you see anything suspicious, it will go in this bin here."

"Suspicious?" Lisa asked.

"Unmarked envelopes or packages, addresses cut out of newspapers, that kind of thing."

"Where do they go?"

"They are sent to special handling, where they are examined to make sure they aren't dangerous."

Lisa nodded and got to work. She meticulously sorted letters and packages, and glanced over them as she did so. One letter in particular caught her eye. There was no return address or stamp. Nor was there a postmark. Lisa put it in the special handling bin. When everyone went on break, she took it out, and hid it inside her shirt. Lisa hurriedly left the mailroom. Earlier, she had seen signs directing people to various locations inside the building. She found the one she was looking for: "Employee Fitness Center." Lisas followed the signs. She found the Employee Fitness Center. It was a well-equipped workout room with various kinds of exercise equipment. Off to her right, Lisa found what she was working for. The steam room and sauna. She checked her watch. 10 minutes left on her break. She hoped it would be enough time. Lisa ran into the steam room. She set the temperature on high. She pulled the envelope out of her shirt. Soon, the glue on the flap loosened. Lisa opened the envelope and took out the letter. She began to read. Her eyes widened. "My darling Jonathan..." It read. "I think of you constantly. I dream about you at night. I love the furs and jewels you have bought for me..." the letter went on to describe romantic interludes between the writer and Jonathan. It was signed, "N." Lisa checked her watch again. Only a few minutes left. She needed to get back to work. She ran back out of the room. There was a stack of towels near the door. Lisa took one and quickly wiped off the sweat. She dropped the towel in the towel bin. She folded the letter up again and put it in the envelope, and then once again concealed it in her shirt. She would make a copy on her lunch break.

Jonathan paced his office. It had been 24 hours, and there was no sign of Jennifer. No ransom note, no demands. The police and the Angels had not been able to find any clues, other than the ones in the house. Jonathan was worried sick. Jennifer was his whole life. They had no idea who could've taken her and why. Interviewing his employees was like looking for a needle in a haystack. It could take months, and he didn't have that kind of time. Jonathan needed more help. The police and the Angels were doing what they could, but they could only do so much. Jonathan walked over to his desk and picked up the phone. "Deanne, get me Caesar's Palace." Jonathan waited while the connection was made. "Yes, room 252."

A groggy Max rolled over to answer the phone ringing in his ear. He had had good luck at the poker tables last night. Then he and a few buddies had celebrated with some beers and a burlesque show. They had a few more beers. Max staggered back to his room around 4:00 a.m., and collapsed into bed. The sound of the phone drove through his head like an ice pick. He fumbled around and lifted the reciever.

"Yeah?"

"Max?"

"Yeah...Mr. H?"

"Yes, Max it's me. There is an emergency."

Max sobered up right away and sat up in bed. "Emergency? What kind?"

"Mrs. H is missing. Can you come home right away?"

"I'll be out on the next flight."

Max hung up the phone and sprang out of bed. He quickly showered, shaved, and dressed. Then he called the airlines, and booked a seat on the next flight to LA. Max threw his things into his luggage and ran downstairs to the main lobby. He checked out of the hotel and grabbed a cab. All the way to the airport and on the flight home, he wondered who would want to hurt a nice lady like Mrs. H.

Jonathan was waiting for Max when the plane landed. They gathered his luggage and hurried out to the car. They said very little on the way home. Jonathan filled Max in on what they knew so far, then they rode in silence. Jonathan pulled up to the gate at the entrance to his property. He inserted his card in the electronic gate keeper, and drove to the front door. He parked in front of the house, and unlocked the door while Max got his luggage out of the trunk. Jonathan opened the door. Freeway heard them and came running to greet them.

"Hi, boy!" Max said as he put his bags down and picked up the dog. "I'll bet you weren't expecting to see me so soon, were you?" Max scratched Freeway behind the ears and put him down. He picked up his bags again. "I'll put these away, Mr. H, and then come back out so we can talk."

Jonathan clapped Max on the shoulder. "You're a good friend."

Max smiled at Jonathan and took his bags to his room. He was back in a minute. Jonathan had fixed them each a drink, and was seated on the couch. Max sat down on the couch next to him, and took his drink.

"So, what happened?"

Jonathan sighed deeply as he put his head in his hand and pinched his nose between his thumb and forefinger. "Sometime after we dropped you off, or maybe even while we were gone, someone stole our groundskeeper's van and got onto the property. They got into the house, and hid behind the drapes in Jennifer's study. There was a fight in there, and both Jennifer and Freeway were chloroformed. Freeway was tied up and stuffed into the closet. Jennifer was taken away in the van. I've called the police and Charlie Townsend. Charlie's people and the police have both been over the house and grounds. They've found footprints, dusted for fingerprints, and taken a plaster cast of the van. It was found down by the beach late last night. Harry's people are going over it now, and Charlie's people will look over it later this afternoon. Right now, they're undercover at the office to see what they can find there."

"Who would want to hurt Mrs. H?" Max wondered.

"I don't know, Max." Jonathan shook his head. "I can't believe this has happened."

"Me neither, Mr. H."

"I've been thinking. Jennifer's father would like toknow. I need to tell him in person. Max, are you up for a trip to Maine?"

"Good thing I haven't unpacked yet."

Jonathan made a few phone calls. One to the kennel to house Freeway during his absence. One to his office to let them know he'd be away for a few days. One to Charlie to let the Angels know they would have to carry on without him. One to the airport to get his private jet ready. Max came out of his room with his suitcases in his arms. "Ready, Mr. H."

"I'll put a few things in a suitcase and be right with you." Jonathan went into Jennifer's study. When he came out, he had her high school yearbooks under his arm. "I thought we would take these and go over them with Jennifer's father. Maybe there is a clue somewhere in these." Jonathan went upstairs to pack.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Jennifer's head was swimming. Between the chloroform she'd been given, being tied up, and lack of food, it was getting hard to think clearly. Jennifer shook her head to clear it. She pondered her situation. Natalie had gone somewhere this morning. Jennifer had heard the door open and close, and Natalie drive away. Jennifer wiggled and tried to loosen her bonds. No luck. There had to be some way out of here. She looked around the room. The light was very dim. Natalie had boarded up the windows. Jennifer guessed she was in a basement, probably in Natalie's house. If only there was some way to send a message to Jonathan! Jennifer leaned her head back against the wall. She started to close her eyes, until she noticed the black widow spider on the wall next to her. Jennifer shrieked through the gag, and scooted away from the spider. She hoped there there weren't any more.

Lisa anxiously watched the clock while she sorted packages and letters. It seemed like luch time would never get here! She flipped through another pile of letters and put them in their proper bins. She listened to some of the gossip going on around here, but did not pick up anything interesting. Jonathan wanted to keep Jennifer out of the media as much as possible, so the employees did not know she was missing. Lisa put some more letters in their bins. She quickly looked at her watch. Ten more minutes to go. Lisa started to work on a stack of boxes in the corner. She sorted them into their bins, and noticed everyone getting up to leave. Finally!

"Hey, Lisa! Some of us are going to Whataburger for lunch. Would you like to join us?" asked Dale, one of her male co-workers.

Lisa smiled. "I'd love to, but I really need to make an important phone call. Can I take a rain check?"

"Sure." Dale smiled as he left.

Lisa smiled to herself. He was kind of cute. Maybe another time. She waited until everyone left, then grabbed her purse. She got into the elevator and punched the button for the top floor. Deanne was at her desk, just preparing to leave for her lunch break.

"Deanne, I found this in the mail room. Can you get me a copy?" Lisa produced the letter, which she had pulled out of her shirt in the elevator. Deanne took it and read it.

"This was in the mail?"

Lisa nodded. "Have there been any others like it?"

Deanne opened her bottom desk drawer. There were several letters similar to the one Lisa had found inside. "I've been hanging on to these. I haven't shown them to Mr. Hart yet. I wanted to turn them over to the police."

"They might have something to do with Mrs. Hart's disappearance. Can you copy them for me?"

"Certainly. I'd show them to Mr. Hart, but he's left for the day. Actually, he's going out of town to see his wife's father. He said he'd left a message at your office."

Lisa nodded. "I guess we will do what we can until he gets back, and hope he calls us."

Deanne led the way to the copy machine. She made copies for Lisa, and put them into a folder. "I really should have mentioned these to Mr. Hart sooner, but if there is a psycho on the loose, I wanted evidence. The first one I kind of dismissed as some crackpot writing letters, but then when more came, I started to get worried."

"My associates and I will be meeting with the police later to go over the van. I'll take the letters to them then."

"Good idea." Deanna handed Lisa both folders.

"Thanks. I'll let you know if we find out anything."

"OK." Both girls got into the elevator. They rode it all the way down. Deanne left the building to go to lunch. Lisa ran to the restroom to see if she could find Sarah cleaning in one of them. No luck. After making sure it was empty, she hid in a stall, and pulled out her walkie talkie. "Sarah? Can you hear me?" she whispered. No answer. "Kianna?" No answer. They must have had their units turned off. Lisa left the stall and searched for the janitorial closet. She saw someone wearing a janitor's uniform just down the hall. From the back, it looked like Sarah. She quickly approached. "Excuse me," she said. The person turned around. Thankfully, it was Sarah.

"Hi."

"Hey, I've got something to leave in your car. Can I have your keys?"

"Sure." Sarah handed them over. "Level A1."

"Thanks." Lisa saw someone approaching them. "We're out of toilet paper in the ladies' room, " she said as the person passed. "I'll get these back to you later," she whispered. Lisa took off. She found Sarah's car and hid one copy of the letters under the seat. She relocked the car, then found her own. She hid the originals under the seats in her car. She checked her watch as she relocked her car. Dang! Time to get back to work. At least she had crucial evidence. That was some consolation for missing lunch. Lisa dashed back into the building. She passed Sarah on her way into the mailroom. She slipped her the keys, and ducked inside. She just barely made it as the clock was signifiying the end of her lunch hour.

Kianna's lunch break wasn't as busy as Lisa's. She couldn't eat with her friends, so she decided to hang out with her typing pool. They went to the break room after they had eaten. Natalie dominated the conversation and went on and on about her life story. "...And my father lost his job, and we didn't have any money. My grandparents paid my school tuition. I had to wear second hand clothes..."

Kianna listened and nodded sympathetically. "My family didn't have much money either."

"I hated it. What about you?"

"I learned to deal with it. When I was old enough, I got a job to earn my own money."

Natalie crossed her legs. Her pant leg hitched up a little with the motion, and Kianna noticed a bite mark on her leg. "What happened to your leg?"

"Huh?"

"Your leg. That looks like a nasty bite mark."

Natalie looked down at her leg. She was slightly agitated. She had been hoping no one would notice. "Oh, that. I surprised the neighbors' dog yesterday, and it bit me."

"You should get that looked at."

Natalie stood up to go back to work. "Really, it's nothing. I'll be fine." Kianna watched her go. Natalie's story was a possible scenario, but her manner suggested that there was more to it. Kianna decided to keep an eye on her.

Sarah cleaned the restroom on the Kianna's floor. Natalie came in, muttering to herself. She seemed angry about something. Sarah tried to make out what she was saying. No luck. Sarah kept busy scrubbing sinks. She had a feeling that Natalie might be worth watching. Natalie continued to mutter while she was in the stall, and when she came out. She stopped momentarily while she washed her hands, then she flounced out of the room. Sarah made sure the closed sign was in front of the bathroom. She turned on a sink and pulled out her walkie talkie. "Lisa, Kianna?" No answer. "Why do we even have these things?"

Sarah put it away and got back to work.

Jonathan's private jet landed at the Cambridge Airport in Maryland. Jonathan had phoned ahead to Jennifer's father, Stephen Edwards. Stephen was waiting for them with his limo. He was an elderly man, with a bald head, and graying hair on the sides. He had jowels and was slightly overweight. He was dressed in a business suit. Stephen had worked for the CIA and had served in the Army during World War II. Kidnap and intrigue were not new to him. He greeted Jonathan and Max warmly.

"Where's my daughter? Why couldn't she come?"

"Steve, we need to talk," Jonathan told him gently. Stephen's chaufffuer put their bags in the trunk as the three men got into the back seat of the limo. Jonathan and Max were in one seat, as Stephen sat directly across from them.

"What is this all about?" Stephen demanded.

Jonathan leaned forward and clasped his hands together as he put his elbows on his knees. "Steve, Jennifer's been kidnapped. I wanted to tell you in person, instead of over the phone."

"When? Why? How?" Stephen sputtered.

"I've got the police and the best people looking for her in LA, which is the reason I dared to come here. I will be in constant phone contact with them. Someone broke into our house yesterday when Jennifer and I drove Max to the airport. He was going to go on vacation, but cut it short when I told him Jennifer was missing. Jennifer put up a good fight, from the looks of her study. Whoever took her tied up and drugged our dog, and killed our gardener."

Stephen leaned back in his seat. He reached for the bar next to him. " Whoever hurt my little girl is going to pay."

"That's how I feel, too, Steve, and we will find out who it is and get Jennifer back. I promise you that."

Stephen mixed drinks for all three of them. They sat back in their seats and sipped, as Jonathan told them what he knew of Jennifer's disappearance. After awhile, each of them was lost in his own thoughts, wondering where Jennifer was, as the limo continued on towards the Edwards residence.

Natalie came home from work and went into her bathroom. She pulled up her pant leg, and looked at the bite just above her ankle. She had cleaned it out yesterday, but it looked really sore today. She touched it and winced. Natalie got some antibiotic cream and bandages out of her medicine cabinet. She cleaned the wound, applied the cream, and bandaged it. She would have to be careful of what clothes she wore until the bite healed. Natalie went downstairs. She opened her basement door. Jennifer was asleep, her head on her chest. The plate of untouched food from last night was still on the floor in front of her. Natalie grabbed Jennifer and roughly shook her awake. Jennifer opened her eyes, shook her head, and tried to focus. Natalie's face was a blur in front of her own. "Wake up, Jenny! It's not safe to keep you here any more."

"What are you going to do with me?" Jennifer croaked in a hoarse voice.

"I will take you somewhere that no one will find you for a long time."

"You're going to kill me?"

"Not yet. I just need a new hiding place for you. This one is getting dangerous."

"Natalie, why are you doing this?"

"At last, you remember my name! I didn't even think you knew it, knew who I was." Natalie united Jennifer's ankles.

"I did know your name, Natalie. Why are you doing this to me?" Jennifer stalled for time. She was sure Natalie was going to kill her. Maybe she could talk her out of it.

Natalie pulled Jennifer to her feet. She had been sitting on the basement floor for most of the last 24 hours. It took a moment for her to steady herself and to get the circulation back into her legs. "Natalie, there has to be a reason for this. Please tell me why."

Natalie pulled Jennifer up the stairs. She had parked her car inside her garage with the door closed. She had entered her house through the connecting door to her kitchen. Now she pulled Jennifer out the same door, talking all the while.

"You always thought you were so smart, Jennifer. You had all the friends. You were a cheerleader. The boys were always asking you for dates. Your father was rich and could afford to send you to Gresham Hall." Natalie referred to the boarding school they had both attended.

"You went there too, so your parents must've had some money."

Natalie shook her head. "No. My mother died when I was young. My father owned his own business for a long time. A pharmaceutical company. But it was bought out by a bigger company. Do you know which one?" Natalie pushed Jennifer into the back seat of the car. "Stay still." She threw a blanket over her.

Jennifer had a sinking feeling. "Hart Industries?"

"No, it was another company that was owned by Hart Industries. Eventually, they downsized, and fired my father. We lived off of the money from the sale of the business for a while. But we really had to scrimp to afford the things we needed. I'll bet you don't even know what that feels like, do you, _Jenny_? My grandparents paid for my tuition and expenses at Gresham Hall. You always thought you were so smart, because you had everything. Now you really have everything, including Jonathan Hart. I'm going to take him away from you, and for once it will be me in the middle of everything, with you on the outside looking in." Natalie opened the garage door and backed the car out. She shut and locked the garage and house.

"Natalie, I didn't have everything. My mother died as well. I spent all of my teen years and adult life without her. I really missed her. I still do." Jennifer was hoping that the one thing they had in common would soften Natalie up.

"Even so, you have Jonathan, and I will take him away from you. He's been seeing me on the sly, you know."

"What?"

"Yes, last Tuesday evening, he came to my house."

Jennifer knew last Tuesday evening, Jonathan had taken her out to dinner and a show. She shook her head. Natalie was definitely in need of some professional help. "So that's where he went!" Jennifer said, playing along. She knew Jonathan would never cheat on her. That didn't stop other women from trying to entice him away, though. Jennifer wondered where Natalie was taking her. She was pretty sure her questions would be answered soon.

Natalie drove into the service entrance for Hart Industries. At this time of the evening, all of the employees had gone home. The night time janitorial staff was in the building, as were the security and night time kitchen staff. Natalie drove down the ramp and into the basement garage entrance. She put the card that she had stolen from the security office into the reader, and the car was admitted. Natalie looked around to make sure no one was watching. She reached into her pocket and took out her bottle of chloroform and a rag. "Sorry to have to do this to you again," she said as she held the rag over Jennifer's nose and mouth. Natalie arranged the blanket around Jennifer, then took her out of the car and slung her over her shoulder. She went into the boiler room area of the basement. The area was only checked periodically, so Natalie knew no one would find Jennifer for a while. She put Jennifer down in a seldom used closet, and closed the door slightly. "Sleep tight, Jenny," she said as she returned to her car.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Jonathan, Stephen, and Max pored over Jennifer's yearbooks. Jennifer was in alot of pictures. She was very popular, was a cheerleader, and in a lot of clubs. Her picture seemed to be on every page. They looked at the group shots. Jennifer was usually in the center of things. Jonathan looked at pictures taken at ball games. There seemed to be a group of kids off to themselves. Jonathan looked at it more closely. "Steve, do you have a magnifying glass?"

"In my desk drawer. Why?"

"I want to look at this girl a little more closely."

Stephen went over to the desk and got out a magnifying glass, which he handed to Jonathan. "Here you go."

"Thanks." Jonathan took the glass and looked closely at the picture that interested him. "I can't be sure, but I think I have seen this girl around Hart Industries."

"Let me see, Mr. H," Max came over to look, as did Stephen. Max read the names under the pictures. "Jennifer Edwards, Nelly Simpson, Monica Smith, Natalie Miller, Jessica Nelson..."

"Wait a minute! Natalie Miller! I'm sure I've hired someone by that name recently. Steve, do you know if any of Jennifer's old classmates live around here?"

"Gresham Hall was a boarding school. Students came from all over the country. So did the staff. " Steve took the book and looked at the page. He flipped through to the faculty section. He found the page he was looking for and ran his finger down it. "Here she is, Mrs. Conway. She lives here in town. 90 years old, and still as sharp as a tack. I'll call her and take you to her right away."

Stephen called to his chauffeur to bring the limo around. He looked up Mrs. Conway's address, and then the three of them ran for the limo.

The limo soon pulled up in front of Mrs. Conway's residence. It was a modest home, much smaller than the Edwards home. Mrs. Conway had lived alone since the death of her husband many years before. She had hired help that came in on a daily basis. Her housekeeper was just getting ready to leave for the day. She let them in, and then showed them to Mrs. Conway's sitting room. "Please be seated. Mrs. Conway will be with you shortly."

The men stood up as Mrs. Conway came in. She was thin, gray, and feeble. Stephen took her arm and led her to a chair, after placing a kiss on her cheek. "Mrs. Conway, please forgive us for barging in on you like this. This is Jonathan Hart, and his butler, Max. Jonathan's wife, Jennifer, disappeared yesterday morning. Do you remember her? Jennifer Edwards? You were her favorite teacher at Gresham Hall."

Greetings were exchanged. Mrs. Conway slowly sat in the chair to which she was led. "Jennifer Edwards. Oh, yes, I do remember her. Such a bright girl. One of my best students."

Jonathan brought the yearbook over to Mrs. Conway. He opened it to the desired page and showed her the picture. She put on her glasses that were hanging on a chain around her neck. Jonathan gave her the magnifying glass. "Mrs. Conway, what can you tell us about this girl, Natalie Miller?"

Mrs. Conway looked closely."I remember her. She was kind of a loner. Very shy. She didn't make friends easily. She wanted to be part of the 'in' crowd, but never seemed to fit in with them..The last I had heard, she had moved away from here. To California, I think. "

"Would she have handled rejection or disappointment easily?"

Mrs. Conway shook her head. "No. She didn't. I remember one time, we had an essay contest. Jennifer wrote an excellent essay, and won first prize. Natalie was first runner up. She got very upset. She cursed at me and at the judges. She only calmed down under the threat of expulsion."

"Mrs. Conway, you have been a big help. I think we now have a clue as to who may have taken Jennifer. Thank you very much." The men excused themselves and saw themselves out. As soon as they were in the limo, Jonathan picked up the phone. "Hello, mobile. I need to place a call to Lt. Harry Moss of the LAPD." To Stephen, he said, "I will reimburse you for it."

"LAPD, Sergeant Morris speaking."

"Is Lt. Moss in? This is Jonathan Hart."

"I am sorry, Mr. Hart. He just left for a meeting."

"Did he leave a number where he could be reached? It's urgent."

"I think he did. Let me look it up for you. It's 555-0127. He's at Townsend Investigations."

"Thank you." Jonathan hung up and dialed the agency number.

"Townsend Associates."

"Scott, it's Jonathan Hart. Is Lt. Moss there yet?"

"He's right here, Mr. Hart."

The Angels had gone over the groundskeeper's van. The only finger prints they found were Harry Jones'. There was some blood on the steering wheel where he had been shot. Other than that, nothing. The police had fanned out over the Santa Monica area, but did not have any ideas as to how the van had gotten there. Scott, Lt. Moss, and Stanley and Deanne met with the Angels in the office, when Jonathan's call came in. They called Charlie on a conference call. His voice came out of the squawk box.

"Well, Angels, what did you find out?"

Once again, Lisa and Kianna looked at Sarah. Sarah spoke up. "Well, as far as the van goes, nothing new. The only fingerprints in it were Mr. Jones', so the theif had to be wearing gloves. There was some blood on steering wheel. However, we spent the day at Hart Industries. Lisa, tell us about the letter you found."

"I was sorting mail in the mail room. I came across a letter with no stamp or return address. It was addressed to Mr. Hart. I took it in the steam room and opened it. Sorry, Mr. Hart. It had references to romantic interludes and them spending time together. I took it to Deanne. She had a whole desk drawer of them ready to turn over to Mr. Hart. We made copies. I have both sets right here. " She gave one set to Lt. Moss, and put the other on Scott's desk. Moss looked them over, as did Scott.

"It looks like a fatal attraction, Jonathan. The writer has all kinds of fantasies about you. She signed them, 'N.' " Moss said as he leafed through the papers.

"Mr. Hart, when you came through the typing area yesterday, one employee in particular seemed to be staring at you. Natalie Miller." Kianna said.

"We just interviewed one of Jennifer's school teachers. I think Natalie Miller is the person we need to be looking for," Jonathan said, relieved that they were making some progress.

"Mr. Hart, when I was in the break room with Natalie today, she crossed her legs and I got a look at her ankle. There is a nasty bite mark on her leg, one that could have been made by a dog about the same size as yours," Kianna told him. "She said it was made by a neighbor's dog when she surprised it. Breaking into the house and kidnapping Mrs. Hart would've surprised the dog."

"Harry, I want you to get a search warrant for Natalie's house. We are coming back to LA right away."

"Sure thing, Jonathan."

Jonathan hung up. Stephen directed the driver to go by his house. Jonathan and Max picked up their bags. They were surprised to find Stephen waiting for them by the front door, also with luggage. "I'm going with you."

"It might be dangerous," Jonathan warned him.

"PShaw! I used to work for the CIA. I'm going to help find my daughter."

"Let's go, then."


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Deanne and Stanley had gone home. The Angles and Moss met in front of Natalie's house. Moss had the SWAT team at the ready. Natalie was driving towards her house. She saw the crowd and muttered an expletive under her breath. She parked several houses away, and watched. Moss knocked on her front door. No answer. Moss signaled to his men to surround the house. One of them knocked on the back door. Still no answer. "Alright, we're going in, " Moss declared. He stood aside as several of his men took the battering ram and busted the front door down. Natalie gasped and watched in horror. The police entered the house, with the Angels right behind them. They fanned out through all of the rooms, looking for clues of Jennifer's whereabouts. The Angels found the basement door and clattered down the stairs. Lisa flipped on the over head light, and saw the door directly across from the stairs. She opened it and turned the light on.

"Oh, my gosh. Look in here, guys."

"What is it?" Sarah asked. Lisa pointed. On the floor, directly across from the door, was the plate of uneaten french fries and hamburger. The can of soda was right next to it. There was also some rope near by.

"It looks like Mrs. Hart was held here," Sarah said. The Angels proceeded towards the plate and rope. Kianna pulled out some tweezers and an envelope. She looked at the area around the food very carefully.

"Aha! Strands of red hair!" Kianna picked up a couple of strands and put them in the envelope. "Let's get these to Lt. Moss right away." The Angels ran back up the stairs and burst through the door.

"Lt. Moss!" Kianna cried. "Look what we've found!" She handed him the envelope.

"Where did you girls find this?"

"Downstairs in the basement," Sarah told him. A couple of Moss' men went downstairs for fingerprints and photographs.

"Good work, Angels. As soon as Mr. Hart gets back into town, we will have him give us some strands from his wife's hair brush and match them. As it is, it looks like we may be able to arrest Natalie Miller."

The police and Angels went back outside with their evidence. Moss taped yellow crime scene tape to what was left of Natalie's door. If she wanted to know what happened to her house, she would have to come to the police station to find out. Moss turned to the Angels. "There isn't much more we can do tonight. Why don't you girls go home and grab some dinner and rest up a bit? We have big day ahead of us tomorrow."

"Will we still need to be undercover at Hart Industries?" Lisa asked.

"I think so, until Natalie is caught. If you see her in the morning, don't let on that you know anything."

"Yes, sir."

The next morning, the Angels reported to their undercover jobs at Hart Industries. There was no sign of Natalie. They kept an eye out for her all day. During the night, Natalie had slipped back into her house and grabbed some clothes and food, and a few other items. She had taken some food to Jennifer, who still refused to eat. Now Natalie was hiding where no one would think to look for her.

Jonathan's plane landed at LAX. He, Max, and Stephen disembarked, and went to the Hart residence. Jonathan took a quick shower and shaved while Max fixed breakfast for everyone. Jonathan ate quickly.

"First," he told Max and his father in law, " I am going to go over to the police station and see what happened after the search warrant. Then I will go over to the office and see what I can find out there."

"We will be here waiting to hear, Mr. H. Be sure to call us if we can come help."

"I will, Max." Jonathan clapped his old friend on the shoulder, smiled at his father in law, and left.

"How about a game of poker while we wait, Mr. Edwards?" Max asked with a twinkle in his eye.

It was very hot and stuffy in the closet next to the boiler room. Jennifer was finding it harder to maintain consciousness. She hadn't eaten or drunk in the last 48 hours, and it was beginning to take its toll. Her head felt fuzzy, and it was hard to think. Jennifer closed her eyes, opened them, and tried to focus. It was so hot in here. Jennifer heard footsteps. She looked up to see Natalie standing in the closet doorway. Natalie put a plate of food down in front of Jennifer, and removed the gag from around her mouth. "Eat, Jenny," she said.

Jennifer just looked at her.

"I think it is about time to free Jonathan from you. The longer you stay here, the bigger burden you become. If you won't eat, I'm going to quit wasting food on you."

Jennifer tried hard to stay focused. Natalie grabbed a handful of hair and yanked her head back. "Look at me when I am talking to you!"

Jennifer closed her eyes. The end was coming, and she knew it. Jonathan, Max, Freeway, her father, would all miss her. Jennifer's head slumped forward as Natalie let go of her.

"Time to say goodbye, Jenny," Natalie said as she stepped out of the closet and closed the door. Natalie took some fuse cord out of her pocket. She went over to the cleaning closet and found some old rags. She saturated them with turpentine. She put one can of turpentine on its side, and loosened the lid until it dripped out steadily. She put one end of the fuze cord into the turpentine pool that was forming. She put the other end several yards away, and lit the end. Then she left. She went over to the service elevator and pushed the button for the top floor. She would be waiting when Jonathan returned.

Natalie got out of the service elevator, and hid around the corner from Deanne's desk. She watched until Deanne left, then she slipped into Jonathan's office. She found the small overnight bag that she had left there earlier, and pulled out a very tight, very revealing evening gown. Natalie took off the clothes she was wearing and put on the evening gown. She slipped on the high heels. She then went into Jonathan's private bathroom and freshened her hair and makeup. She put her clothes back in the overnight bag. Natalie then opened the picnic basket she had brought with her. She pulled out a table cloth, and spread it in the middle of the floor. She set out a bucket of ice, champagne, cheese, grapes, and crackers. She then put two tall candles in the middle of the tablecloth. Now there was nothing left to do but wait. She settled herself in

one of Jonathan's chairs. She picked up the remote to the tv, and watched it for awhile with the volume on low. She was soon lost in the fantasy world of her and Jonathan together.

Jonathan rode up to his office in the elevator. He went down the hall, and through the glass doors to his office reception area. "Good morning, Deanne," he said as he passed her desk.

"Good morning, Mr. Hart."

Jonathan opened up the door to his office. Natalie, lost in her reverie, jumped up in surprise.

"What the...?" Jonathan said.

"Hello, darling," Natalie said as she lit the candles. "I've been waiting for you."

"You must have me mixed up with someone else," Jonathan told her.

"No, it's you. Come, sit down and have some grapes. I'll feed them to you."

"No, thanks. I just ate."

"But, darling..."

"Don't 'darling' me. Only one person calls me that, and it isn't you. Where is Jennifer?"

"Somewhere she won't bother us. I'm going to free you from her. Then you can be with me." Natalie stood up from the table cloth and moved toward Jonathan. She tried to put her arms around him. Jonathan pushed her away, and she stumbled over the cloth, and knocked over one of the candles.

"No," Jonathan said. He moved towards his desk to reach for his phone.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you, " Natalie said as she pulled a gun out of the picnic basket and held it on him. Jonathan reached for the phone anyway, and Natalie fired. She shot him in the arm. Jonathan staggered, and collapsed on the floor in front of his desk. The candles were now burning the rug and table cloth. Natalie took one look at the fire and Jonathan on the floor, and ran out of his office. Deanne saw her run by, and picked up the phone to call the police, just as Jonathan staggered to the door.

"Deanne, she shot me. She has Jennifer hidden somewhere. Call the police and the fire department. My office is on fire. "

Deanne pushed the fire alarm. Soon employees were running from offices on all levels, and causing traffic jams on the stairs. Stanley came out of his office to see what the commotion was about. He saw the smoke coming out of Jonathan's office and grabbed the fire extinguisher. He ran into the office and put out the blaze before it touched the walls or furniture. Deanne's voice came over the intercom. "Please return to your work stations. The fire is out." Employees calmed down, and started to go back to work. A few moments later, the fire alarm went off again.

"Deanne, clear the building. She must've set another fire somewhere!" Jonathan ordered.

Deanne picked up the intercom. "Attention, employees. Please evacuate at once. This is an emergency. Please try to stay calm." Employees once again flooded the halls and stairways. Supervisors started to make order out of the chaos, and helped the employees evacuate in an orderly manner.

The Angels saw the panic, and knew Natalie had to be behind it. Natalie ran past Sarah, who was preparing to clean yet another bathroom. Sarah grabbed her walkie talkie and ran after Natalie. "Lisa, Kianna. I see her. She's heading for the basement! I'm going to follow her!"

"We're right behind you!" They answered. Sarah was in hot pursuit. She saw Natalie run through the basement doors. Sarah ran after her. The thick smoke almost drove her back. She pulled her shirt up over her face and continued. "Natalie! Where are you?" No answer. "Mrs. Hart?"

Sarah continued to look. She saw the boiler room and the closet next to it. She ran to the closet and opened the door. "Mrs. Hart!" Sarah reached down and started to untie Jennifer. Natalie sneaked up behind her and whacked her in back of the head with the butt of her gun. Sarah slumped over Jennifer. Natalie was going to move Jennifer, but there was no way she could now, with Sarah on top of her. She tried to push Sarah over.

"Hold it right there," said a voice. Natalie turned around to see Lisa and Kianna behind her, with guns drawn.

"HEEEEEEEEEEYYAAAAAAAAA!" Natalie tried to kick at them. The tight dress made it impossible, and she fell over. She got to her feet, and moved toward Sarah and Jennifer. She held her gun on them. "Back away, ladies. They're mine. Go away. Now."

"Natalie, we can help you," Kianna began.

"I said, NOW!" Natalie fired into the air. Lisa and Kianna ran and hid behind some pillars.

"Now what?" Lisa asked.

"We hope the cops show up," Kianna said. "I don't think we can take her by ourselves."

"Not unless we get the drop on her."

"Want to try it?"

"Let's do it." The two Angels kept the pillar between them and Natalie. She moved Sarah over, and was dragging Jennifer out of the closet. The girls watched for their chance and rushed Natalie. Kianna grabbed Jennifer as Lisa grabbed Natalie's arms. Kianna untied Jennifer and tossed the rope to Lisa. She tied up Natalie. Lisa pulled Natalie over to a pillar and sat her down. Kianna tried to sit Jennifer and Sarah up, with no success. They were both out. The flames and smoke continued to billow around them. The girls began to cough.

"I'll run for help. Will you be alright?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine." Lisa kept her gun on Natalie, as she pulled her shirt up over her mouth and nose. Kianna ran back up the stairs. The first person she ran into was Harry Moss.

"Lt. Moss!"

Moss hurried over to Kianna. "What is it?"

"We found Mrs. Hart. She's in the basement. We have Natalie down there. Lisa is watching her. The basement is on fire."

"What about your third partner?"

"She's down there too. Natalie knocked both her and Mrs. Hart unconcious. We need to get down there quickly. The place is on fire."

Moss radioed the fire department. He grabbed a few men to help him, and followed Kianna down the stairs. She led them to Lisa and Natalie. Then she went back upstairs to the main desk while Moss read Natalie her rights. Kianna got into the elevator just as the fire department arrived. She pushed the button for the top floor, and wished the elevator would go faster. It finally reached her destination. She got out and ran to Jonathan's office. 

"Is Mr. Hart here?" She asked Deanne. Deanne indicated over by Stanley's office where Jonathan's arm was being patched up. Kianna approached him. "Mr. Hart?"

"Yes, Kianna?" 

"Mr. Hart. We've found Mrs. Hart. She's in the basement. Natalie knocked her unconscious and set the place on fire."

"She tried to do the same thing up here. Is Jennifer alright?"

Kianna nodded as she noted the burned office. "Natalie's been busy. Lt. Moss radioed the fire department. Sarah and Lisa are with her now."

"And I will be soon." Jonathan got up and led the way to the elevator.

The paramedics tried to hold him back. "Mr. Hart, take it easy."

Jonathan would have none of it. "My wife is down there. She's been missing for two days. Out of my way!" He pushed past them and headed for the elevator.

Lt. Moss' men led Natalie away in handcuffs. Natalie was screaming obscenities the whole time. The firemen put out the fire. The paramedics looked over Sarah and Jennifer. Both of them started to come to. Jennifer was the groggier of the two. Sarah winced and put her hand on the back of her head. "What hit me?" 

"Natalie's gun," Lisa told her.

"Man, this is so different from tagging along behind the big girls. Ouch."

Jennifer started to stir. "Jonathan?" She croaked. Sarah and Lisa were immediately by her side. "He will be here in a moment," they told her. The paramedics put an oxygen mask over her face. They handed masks to the Angels. Jonathan ran down the stairs. Kianna was right behind him.

"Jennifer! Jennifer!" He reached Jennifer's side and took her in his arms. "Time to wake up, darling," he said as he kissed her forehead. Jennifer opened her eyes briefly, saw Jonathan, and smiled. Everything was going to be alright now.

"Mr. Hart, we need to take your wife to the hospital. She's breathed in a lot of smoke, and from the looks of things, hasn't had any food or water for the last couple of days. We need to get another look at that arm of yours too."

"Of course, but I am going with her."

The Angels watched as Jonathan followed Jennifer's stretcher outside, and they both got into the ambulance. "You ladies need to come to the hospital too, especially you, Miss, " the paramedics told them as he nodded to Sarah. "You've all breathed in some smoke, and we need to look at that lump on the back of your head."

"Ok, " The Angels agreed and got into another ambulance.

Jennifer was wheeled into the emergency room on a stretcher. The doctors immediately put IV's into her to get some nourishment in her. They continued to monitor her oxygen levels. Jonathan refused to leave her side. He stayed with her and stroked her hair as the doctors worked over her. "Jennifer, I was so afraid I was going to lose you. I am so thankful we found you in time. " Jonathan shuddered to think what could have happened if the fire had continued to burn, with his beloved Jennifer in it.

"Mr. Hart, we'd like to take you into the room next door so we can take care of that arm," one of the doctors, Dr. Adams, told him.

"I'm not leaving my wife."

"Then we will take care of it here. Take your shirt off, Mr. Hart."

Jonathan hardly noticed as the doctors got the bullet out of his arm and stitched him up. All of his attention was focused on Jennifer. "Can we get a phone in here?" he asked. A phone was brought in. Jonathan dialed his home number. "Max? Bring Mr. Edwards and come to the hospital. We have Jennifer. She's in the emergency room right now, but will be moved to a private room soon."

"That's great, Mr. H!" Max shouted into the phone.

Sarah sat on the exam table with an ice pack on the back of her head. Lisa and Kianna were with her. Dr. Adams came in with her chart. "Good news, Ms. Munroe. No concussion. Just some slight swelling. It should go down in a day or two if you take it easy. Maybe have someone come and stay with you for a bit. I understand you live alone?"

"Yeah, most of the time, except when my sister comes to visit my fridge, " Sarah said as Dr. Adams looked at her strangely.

"We'll make sure you have food," Lisa told her.

"You are good to go, Ms. Munroe. Please sign here. I assume one of your friends will drive you home."

"Yes, sir." Sarah signed. "Let's go phone Charlie," she said as soon as the doctor was out of the room. LIsa and Kianna laughed as they helped her down from the table and out the door.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

A few days later, the Harts and the Angels were gathered in the office with Scott. Jonathan had one arm in a sling, and his good arm around Jennifer as they sat side by side on the couch. Freeway sat in Jennifer's lap, and Max and Jennifer's dad sat on the opposite couch. The Angels were scattered throughout the room in various chairs and stools. "Charlie, I can't tell you how grateful I am to your Angels for finding Jennifer. As a result, I am going to treat all of you to a cruise, on top of your fee."

The girls squealed. "That is very kind of you, Jonathan. I'm sure the girls will enjoy a cruise. I know just the one. The Pacific Princess runs from Los Angeles to Mazatlan. Captain Stubing is an old friend of mine, and he will treat you well."

"Mine too, Charlie. I also own stock in Princess Cruise Lines," Jonathan said.

"What will happen to Natalie, Charlie?" Jennifer asked. "She is such a poor, tortured soul. I didn't see any signs of her troubles back then. If I had, things might've been different."

"You can't blame yourself, Jennifer. Sometimes, things just happen, and they get out of control. Natalie will be in a mental hospital for a long time to come. Poor girl doesn't have any family, so her recovery will be much harder without someone to support her."

"The poor thing. She carried all of that hate inside of her for so long, and was so tormented by it. I want to go visit her."

"Darling, are you sure?" Jonathan asked.

"Yes, I am sure. And I want to help with her medical bills."

Jonathan was amazed at his wife's generosity and forgiving spirit. So was everyone else.

"That is very kind of you, Jennifer," Charlie said as everyone nodded agreement.

"That's my girl!" Mr. Edwards added. Jonathan placed a kiss on his wife's head as everyone around them smiled. Jonathan basked in his good fortune of having Jennifer returned to him.

The Angels passed around drinks to everyone.

Sarah raised her glass. "Here is to a successful end to our first case. May there be many more!"

"Here, here!" Everyone said as they raised their glasses.

The End.


End file.
